True Love's Proof
by TheHinkyPanda
Summary: During a Stargate glitch, Dr. Nick Rush finds himself dumped in Storybrooke until the curse breaks. Belle is also waiting for the curse to break so she can have her true love without the shadow of power looming over them. But Rumplestiltskin has a job for Rush: keep tabs on Belle. However, things get sticky when Nick and Belle start falling for each other. Rumbelle, Rushbelle
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own SGU or Once Upon A Time and I'm making no money on this story.

**True Love's Proof**

**Chapter One**

Dialing a Stargate is not an exact science, no matter how much everyone wants to believe it is. The calculations can be accurate, destination can be determined but nature is a wild card, in and of itself. Solar flares, a wrinkle in the fabric of space and time or, in one Dr. Nicolas Rush's case, pure and simple luck, can take the calculations and twist them.

All the information that he had gathered told him when he passed through the gate, he should have stepped through into a desert. Arid, dry and almost void of life was the planet that they had decided to search for food and supplies. He had voiced his opinion on the waste of time this planet was going to be but he was overridden. He had only agreed to go so he could bear witness to Young's misfortune of finding nothing valuable.

There was no desert when he stepped through the other side of the gate though. In fact, there was no gate at all. He found himself standing in the middle of the a forest, at night and in a damp cold that quickly permeated the thin layers of clothes he had opted for since surface temperatures were coming back in the low hundreds. It couldn't have been more than 40 degrees where he found himself.

"Scott? Greer?" He took a deep breath. "Young?"

His shouts went unanswered and were absorbed by the evergreens. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the pine and damp earth. Earth...could it even be possible? And if he was on Earth, where was everyone else? He pulled out his compass and headed in the Northern direction. It was only a half mile until he found a road. To the east, the forest became darker but to the west, he could see a soft glow of a town or compound and he started to head towards that.

The sound of a car reaches his ears and he starts to head towards the treeline, the constant running from drones starting to develop into an instinct. But when he turns towards the sound, he sees it's a police car and slows his dash for cover but keeps his hand on his gun hidden in the fatigue pocket. The car stopped beside him and the window rolled down.

"Mr. Gold?" The person driving is a woman with long blonde hair and red leather jacket.

"Afraid not," he shakes his head. "I'm Dr. Nicholas Rush."

She frowns slightly and narrows her eyes. "Uh-huh. Doctor of what?"

"Ancient Technologies."

"Makes about as much sense as anything else around here." She smiles wryly. "I'm Sheriff Emma Swan. You need a ride someplace?"

"The nearest town, if you don't mind."

"Hop in."

He hears the trunk of the car pop open and he dumps his pack into it before settling in the passenger seat. He glances around at the cab and notices that the equipment looks woefully out of date. Of course, he's been staring at Destiny's technology for so long that something as simple as a radio was elementary at this point.

"So where are you from, Dr. Rush?"

She says his name like she doesn't believe it's really his. He wonders how much he should tell her. If he should tell her the truth. He finally decides for a bland version of the situation. "Originally, Scotland though I lived in California for awhile."

"So what brings you to Storybrooke, Maine?"

Maine. It was Earth. He was fortunate she came along or else he would have frozen out there. "Fate, I suppose. How long have you been Sheriff?"

"Not that long. I'm relatively new to town too. Where can I drop you?"

He's been watching the storefronts pass by and realizes this is nothing more than a quaint New England town. "Don't suppose there's a hotel around here."

"There's Granny's Bed and Breakfast."

"That's fine." Even though there was never any need, he still carried his wallet with him. It was a habit he was thankful he didn't break. He had some money, though not much. Hopefully it would be enough to keep a roof over his head until he figured out how to get back to Destiny.

"Don't let the outside fool you," Emma said, "the rooms are very nice."

He really didn't think he looked like someone who was particularly picky with his borrowed fatigues, shaggy hair and almost full beard. "All I need is a roof, Sheriff."

"How long are you planning to stay?"

"Do you always interrogate newcomers?"

A smile quirked the corner of her mouth. "Only ones that I think look a little shifty and appear to drop out of the sky."

"Fair enough. I'm not sure how long I'll be staying."

"Fate?"

Or Destiny. "Something like that."

She stopped the car in front of the Bed and Breakfast, which true to her word, looked quite run down though he still didn't care. "Thank you for the ride, Sheriff."

"This town, Dr. Rush, it's not exactly...normal."

"What do you mean?" Maybe he wasn't on Earth, like he had thought. Maybe he was only a few planets over on another colonized world from the descendants. There could be another Maine on a new planet.

"It's going to take some explaining to do, more than I can go into right now. Go to Granny's Diner tomorrow morning for breakfast and I'll send someone there to fill in the details."

Rush nodded. "Alright then."

Emma opened the trunk for him and collected his pack. By the time he reached the front door, she had pulled away from the curb and he wondered what exactly made this town "not normal." The door open and he stepped through with the sound of a little bell announcing his arrival. He heard someone shuffling around in the back and soon a woman with white hair and a stern look about her appeared. She gave him a slightly disdainful look and crossed her arms.

"Rumplestiltskin."

The fairytale character? Perhaps Emma was warning him about Granny herself not being normal. Though she seemed to be well in control of her faculties. "Afraid not. Dr. Nicholas Rush. I need a room for a few nights."

She looked completely unfazed by his denial of being a fairytale character. "She's not here, you know."

"Who?"

"Belle."

"Ah. Very well. I still need a room and would prefer it if Belle or anyone else for that matter would not be in it."

Granny still looked unconvinced but handed him a key anyway. "$85 a night."

He had close to eight hundred in his wallet. It would buy him a week at least. "Thank you."

"Up the stairs, second door on the right. Bathroom's in the middle of the hallway."

He climbed the stairs with a new purpose. A shower, he could actually take a real shower with water, soap and towels. He used the key to open the door and found Emma to be correct on her assessment of the rooms. It felt like walking into someone's guest room, almost extravagant compared to his cold, metal quarters on Destiny. He dropped the pack onto the wicker settee and pulled out the extra clothes he shoved in there, which was just a pair of jeans and a long sleeved thermal shirt.

The bathroom was fairly large with an antique claw foot tub and shower. Towels and soap were already in there and despite being stranded god knows where or for whatever reason, he couldn't help but smile in relief. A five minute shower progressed into thirty minutes of just standing under a steady stream of hot water.

He ran calculations through his mind, listed everything that could have gone wrong and worked up how many places he could have been transported to now. But until he knew where he was in the universe and what kind of technology they had here in Storybrooke, Maine, his plan on how to get back to the Destiny was nonexistent. He needed all the pieces of the equation to solve the thing but hopeful by talking to Emma's friend tomorrow, he would be able to get a better handle on the situation.

When the hot water ran out, he finally dried himself off and got dressed. He would have to buy some clothes and a coat tomorrow but he was going to have to watch how much money he spent. Maybe he could work on some improvements around Granny's in exchange for the room. But as he stumbled back to the room, the idea of not having anyone screaming at him for whatever crisis had cropped up or having the ship breaking down around him, he realized just how tired he was. Collapsing on top of the handmade quilt on the bed, sleep quickly claimed him but not before he determined to find out who this Mr. Gold and Rumplestiltskin were that people kept mistaking him for.

* * *

When he finally comes to, the bedside clock tells him it's 9:23. Nick couldn't remember the last time he had slept so soundly but being so fully rested left him feeling drowsy now. He doesn't know when Emma's friend is going to show up at the diner so he quickly made himself as presentable as possible before heading downstairs. He used the fatigue jacket as a coat until he can purchase one and finds the wind is biting in Storybrooke. The diner is practically across the street from the Bed and Breakfast and when he entered the establishment, he sees Granny behind the counter. She still gives him a hard look.

"Breakfast is included in your rate," she told him and then finally softened slightly. "Your breakfast buddy is waiting for you."

He turned to see a boy, no older than ten, sitting in a booth. A large leather bound book sitting on the table. The kid waved and smiled at him.

"Are you Dr. Rush?" He thrusted his hand out. "I'm Henry, Emma's son."

Nick took the kid's hand, more because he's struck with an intense feeling of missing Eli than out of politeness. This child has the same exuberance, innocence even, that he associated with Eli when the twenty-five year old first crossed paths with Nick. Out of everyone on the crew, he would miss Eli the most, but the boy had come very far and would keep things patched together until Nick found his way back, he was certain of it.

Henry gave him a scrutinizing look. "You do kind of look like Mr. Gold. Or Rumplestiltskin, now."

"I'm going to need a pot of coffee for this, aren't I?"

"It would help," Henry responds seriously.

When Nick slid into the booth, a young woman with long, dark hair set a coffee mug in front of him. "What can I get you?"

"Coffee's fine, thanks."

"You look like you could use a hot meal," the woman said, somehow keeping pity out of her tone. "Eggs? Pancakes? French toast?"

"Eggs, then."

"We make a killer Western Omelet here."

Nick nodded. "Alright then."

Henry opened his book with a smile. "That was Red Riding Hood and that," he pointed to the gray-haired lady, "is her Grandmother."

"So where's the Big Bad Wolf?" Nick took a swallow of the coffee and has to suppress a groan at the taste. A shower and now this: real coffee and a hot meal. He was determined to enjoy this while it lasted.

"Red is the wolf. Her red cloak keeps her from transforming when there's a full moon."

"I don't remember reading that in the fairytale."

"Well, it's all in here," Henry pushed the book in Nick's direction. "This is what my mom was talking about when she said that this town isn't exactly normal. Everyone here is a fairy tale character."

"Except for me."

"Yeah. Where did you come from?"

Nick kept his silence and sipped coffee while flipping idly through the book.

"Oh come on," Henry says. "I just tell you everyone here is a fairy tale character and you think I won't believe where you came from? What, is like from the future?"

"No, I'm not from the future."

Red Riding Hood, for that is who Henry told him she was, put a plate of food in front of him. His stomach growled loudly and Red smiled.

"I'll take that as a thank you," she said before moving off to another table.

Henry let Nick get a few mouthfuls of food in before he started his questions again. "Okay, so not the future. The past?"

Nick shook his head and shoved more food into his mouth. Red was right, they do make a mean Western omelet here.

"Another time dimension?"

"You have quite an imagination."

"I've got it," Henry grinned from ear to ear. "You're from outer space."

And Nick choked on his mouthful of food.

"That's it! I'm right! You are from outer space!"

Nick took a swallow of coffee and cleared his throat. "I'm from Scotland, kid."

"You weren't in Scotland and then suddenly found yourself here in Storybrooke. So what was it? Some kind of transport accident? You were beaming somewhere and ended up here?"

Nick had to give it to the kid, he either had a very active imagination or a deep understanding of physics. Henry lived in a town with fairy tale characters so Nick chalked it up to imagination. "Tell you what, you tell me about how these characters ended up in Maine and I'll tell you where I came from."

* * *

He had listened to Henry talk about an Evil Queen casting a curse that took all the people from the fairy tales and placed them here, in Storybrooke. Little details stood out to Nick, such as no one being able to leave but people could pass through and how time stood still for twenty-eight years before Emma, the curse breaker, arrived. He was almost certain as to what had happened but he needed more information about this supposed curse. Henry had sent him in the direction of a pawnshop.

Mr. Gold's pawnshop, to be exact.

Nick opened the door to the sound of another bell ringing overhead. He wondered if every building in Storybrooke had bells over their doors. The shop itself was cluttered with a variety of things that look fascinating if he hadn't been a misplaced person in this town trying to find his way back home. There was a tap of a cane coming from the back of the store and Nick waited for the curtain to be pushed aside so he can see who everyone was mistaking him for.

And he has to admit, the similarities are undeniable. Their facial structure was almost identical though Nick's nose was slightly more off center due to a couple fist fights he found himself involved in on Destiny. But the man in front of him was ten times more refined than Nick ever had been. He was dressed in a tailored suit, clean shaven and even his hair was styled as opposed to Nick's jeans, t-shirt, and beard. They were polar opposites who happened to share a face.

"Who the hell are you?"

Nick laughed, the question would have come from him if he hadn't been warned beforehand of the doppelganger. "Dr. Nicholas Rush. Mr. Gold, I presume."

Gold positioned himself behind one of the glass display cases and leaned on the counter. "Who sent you here?"

"A ten year old boy named, Henry. He said you might be able to figure out how I came to be here and how I can get back home."

"And where exactly is home?"

At this point, after listening to Henry for the last hour and a half, the truth sounded less far fetched. "A spacecraft called Destiny. It's billions of light years across the galaxy."

The hostility seemed to fade for a moment, genuine curiosity peeking through. "Space travel? Really?"

Nick started to explain Stargates and how they worked. The subject matter of wormholes and space travel seemed a particular interest to Gold and soon the two men found themselves sitting in the back of the shop, drinking tea and discussing the possibilities that Nick had already considered.

Storybrooke was a bubble created by a magical curse that blocked out time and hung suspended in space. The first break of the curse, the allowing of time to start moving again, made the bubble weaker but strong enough to keep it cordoned off from reality. There was no place for Nick to go until the curse completely broke and even then, it wasn't something guaranteed that he would be returned to Destiny.

"There is one other person in Storybrooke that might be of help to you," Gold said. "His name is Jefferson and he's made a career out of world jumping. If the curse break doesn't send you back to your ship, Jefferson might be the one who can help."

Nick nodded and considered Henry's warning about Gold. "What's your price?"

Gold smiled and held up his hands. "I don't know yet. Let's just say you'll owe me a favor."

Nick didn't like owing anyone anything. He had worked too hard in his life, pushed, shoved, sacrificed and demanded respect from others. But he wasn't in a position to demand too much right now. "Alright. A favor it is then."

They shook on it before Nick headed out into the town to buy some essentials. By the time he had picked up some clothes, was able to get his glasses fixed and grabbed food from the diner to eat back in his room, he was ready for more sleep. But Granny greeted him when he stepped through the door and handed him a piece of paper.

"Rumplestiltskin called for you."

He reached for the paper but she held it back for a moment.

"Be careful of that man. He's not to be trusted."

"Duly noted. Thank you." He took the message from Granny and headed up to his room. Dumping everything on the bed and carrying the food over to the phone, he dialed the number that was written down. Gold picked up on the second ring.

"Are you in need of a job, Dr. Rush?"

"Is this going to cost me another favor?" He couldn't bring himself to call the man Rumplestiltskin. It was still a little hard to comprehend being stranded in a town with fairy tale characters.

"Actually, the job would be the favor. There is an opening at the high school for a physics teacher."

High school students, Nick suppressed a groan. He barely managed college students and their idiocy. "And how is this a favor for you?"

"I need you to keep tabs on a fellow teacher and report back to me."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

Sounded harmless enough and he did need a job until the curse broke. "Okay, I'll do it. What's the teacher's name?"

"She's the Literature teacher, Belle French."


	2. Chapter 2

**True Love's Proof**

**Chapter Two**

Happy endings never came after the first few chapters of the book, Belle knew this better than anyone. Most of the girls in her father's court spent their time refining their manners, honing their sewing skills and spent hours coiffing their hair and polishing their skin. She could always be found in a wrinkled dress, hair hastily and half-way pulled back and her unpolished nose in a book. She learned from those countless books that the happy endings always came after hundreds of pages filled with countless trials and obstacles.

She held onto the hope that reality would work the same way. Her life was nothing more than the "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale out of Henry's book. She had to have a happy ending but only after she had endured through those hundreds of pages of trials. She wondered how far she still had to go until her Beast turned back into a man so they could start their ever after. Surely after almost thirty years of being locked up put her close to the end of their story, closer to their happy ending.

She locked the door to her apartment, tucked her books under her arm and started the five block walk to Storybrooke High School. After Rumplestiltskin had brought magic back to Storybrooke and had taken a certain measure of delight in that feat, she had decided to strike out on her own. He had told her once that his power meant more to him than her and she called him a liar for it. She still believed it to be a lie but that didn't mean he wasn't addicted to the power and she refused to live with the addiction.

So while she waited for Rumplestiltskin to complete whatever mission he had set before him where magic was necessary, she decided to experience her independence. She couldn't see the world, not yet at least, but she could do the brave thing here and support herself. She enjoyed the freedom, after so many years of being a prisoner, to come and go as she pleased. To work hard, pay bills and only answer to herself. But the loneliness of having her true love across town tainted her happiness and it was a current state she hoped wouldn't continue for much longer.

"Belle! I'm so glad I caught you."

Snow White crossed the playground where students were milling around and heading into the building. Snow was one of the few people in town who actually treated her as a friend. Being the true love of Rumplestiltskin didn't exactly endear her to the townspeople. "What's going on?"

"There's a new physics teacher that showed up today and I wanted to warn you before you saw him."

"What happened to Mr. Allen?"

"Apparently, on his way home from work yesterday, his brakes failed on his car. He's in the hospital, pretty banged up and has a broken leg. He'll recover but he won't return to work until next year."

"How terrible. Who is the substitute then?"

Snow gave her a very serious look. "He says his name is Dr. Nicholas Rush. Emma picked him up on the outskirts of town two nights ago. He doesn't have a record and is more than qualified to teach the class."

"So why warn me about him?"

Snow leaned forward and whispered. "He looks like Rumplestiltskin except he has a beard and glasses."

She knew that Snow was taking this very seriously but Belle couldn't help but laugh. "So they look similar."

"They look identical." Snow motioned towards the building and Belle immediately looked to the second floor where the science classrooms were located.

Belle felt her books slip out of her fingers, barely registering the sound of the them hitting the ground. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the man peering down at them from the window. Snow was right, he was a carbon copy of Rumplestiltskin. She barely registered the beard and glasses, all she could stare at were his eyes.

Snow had picked up Belle's books and was watching her closely. "Belle?"

"Are you sure it's not Rumplestiltskin?"

Snow frowned. "Yes. I double checked with Emma, Henry and even Red."

"Where did he come from?"

At this, Snow actually managed a smile. "Henry says he came from outer space."

That statement was enough to snap Belle's eyes back to her friend and she retrieved her books. "Outer space? As in, another planet?"

"No, a spacecraft. Henry said he was Scottish actually."

"Of course he is." The bell rang signaling they only had three minutes before their first class started. "Thank you for the warning, Snow."

"Let me know how it goes up there. Emma and James are on stand by just in case."

Belle nodded to her friend and hurried into the building. Her literature class just happened to be next to the physics room so this would be very interesting indeed. By the time she passed his room, he was already calling the rowdy bunch to order. She tried not to be distracted by the brogue that she had missed so much.

This was more than just a coincidence and it looked like she would have to pay a visit to the pawnshop to find out what was really going on with this Dr. Rush.

* * *

She remembered the first time she stepped into the shop, no memory whatsoever of who she was or even where she was for that matter. She enjoyed coming here, it was the closest thing in Storybrooke that felt like home to her. She recognized so many things that were from the Dark Castle and longed for those six months of her life to return.

"Belle."

She can't help but smile at how he says her name. "Rum."

He left the cane by the register, he doesn't need it now and only uses it for show, and embraced her. She folded easily against him, thankful to feel his hands on her, reminding her that no matter what, he loves her. But despite his warmth and strength around her, she had to remember not to kiss him when he released her. It was just another reason why they couldn't inhabit the same home.

His curse was still lurking under his skin and he voiced the concern of not wanting it broken just yet. Even though he assured her he would allow her to break his spell as soon as his son was found and the Storybrooke curse was broken completely, he still wanted to hold onto his power until that time. It pained her to no end but she held to the promise of her happy ending nevertheless. It was the waiting that was difficult, to have your true love but not be with them.

He pulled back from her, running his hand over her face in place of a kiss. "What brings you in here?"

She gave him a knowing smile. "I think you know."

At least he has the decency to look slightly abashed. "The physics teacher, Dr. Rush."

"Who is he, Rum?"

"Just another person trapped with the rest of us."

She had a theory. A far fetched theory, but right now nothing seemed far fetched anymore. "You said magic doesn't work reliably here because magic was never suppose to be here. Is it possible that when magic finally settled, it..." and her words failed her.

"Split me?" he finished. "The cursed one and the man?"

"Yes." She choked on the word.

He considered for a moment. "Possibly."

Belle's breath hitched in her throat.

"But not likely."

She released the breath and tried to looked to stern. "Rum."

"I'm sorry. No, Dr. Rush is quite different from myself."

"You've met him? Spoken to him?"

"Oh yes," he gave her a pleased smile. "We had a lovely chat yesterday afternoon over tea."

Belle returned the smile. "Lovely chat, I'm sure. You should have heard him yelling at his students today. I had half a mind to interrupt and box his ears."

Rumplestiltskin laughs. "Call me beforehand if you do."

"You weren't laughing when I did it to you."

His laugh diminished but he reached out for her hand anyway. "I did deserve it."

Belle rubbed her thumb over his knuckles and remembered what had brought her to that degree of anger. She had only been in the Dark Castle for two weeks. He had handed out scraps of kindness, like a nice room and bearable company. He even choked down her attempts of cooking meals with nothing more than a grimace. But the one thing that they did argue about were the pair of wooden puppets.

She told him one afternoon while he was spinning that she just couldn't bring herself to dust the things anymore. They frightened her too badly. He had teased her in his reluctant biting fashion, as if he was trying to be mean but couldn't quite manage it. She told him that they felt alive, like they were watching her. He made a quip about that being entirely possible and the horror of someone being reduced to an inanimate object was too much for her to take, she clapped her hands against his ears before she could stop herself.

They stood there staring at each other in abject horror for half an hour, her fearing she was going to end up a puppet herself while he had just kept his ears covered with his own hands. It wasn't until the clock chimed and started them moving once more. She apologized and offered to bring them tea. He nodded mildly and went back to spinning. Later on, over the rim of a chipped cup, he promised to dust the puppets himself.

"Do you still have those awful things?" she asked.

"If I did, I'm not telling you."

Belle gave him a solid nod. "At least you've learned your lesson."

The bell over the door rang and Belle turned to see Dr. Rush stepping through the door. Once he caught sight of the two of them, their hands entwined on the counter, he started to turn back towards the street. Belle was surprised when Rumplestiltskin called him back.

"Ah, Dr. Rush, I want you to meet someone, if you haven't already." He motioned to Belle. "This is Miss Belle French."

The man looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in front of her but shook her hand regardless. "Nick."

Up close, she noticed the differences in their faces, however slight they were. Nick's eyes were a shade darker than Rumplestiltskin's, his hair threaded with slightly more gray. "Belle."

"You teach in the classroom next to mine."

Belle straightened her back and gave him her best serious look that she usually reserved for out of hand students. "Yes, I was having difficulty keeping my students on task today on account of your yelling."

The man's unease quickly melted into defensiveness. "I wouldn't have to yell at them if they would just focus."

"Perhaps they would have a better chance of concentrating if you didn't yell at them."

"They're seventeen years old, concentrating on schoolwork shouldn't be a skill they're still developing."

"They're children!"

"They're practically adults!"

Rumplestiltskin coughed, though Belle heard a slight laugh behind it. "I was going to invite you both over for dinner tonight but if you two can't play nicely..."

Belle bit her lip. She had let her bearing slip, something that had been trained into her at a young age. She was a princess, she must behave like one. Or at least give it a solid try. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me."

The poor man looked as if she really had just boxed his ears, eyes wide and slack jawed. "Quite alright. I'll try not to yell tomorrow."

"I'll think you'll succeed," Belle smiled. "Tomorrow is Saturday."

His laugh was short and still uneasy. "Small victories then."

"Belle can meet you at Granny's and bring you to my place around 7?"

Belle gave Rumplestiltskin a hard look. He was up to something, she could see it in his posture, his eyes. He was normally overly protective of her, not wanting her in the company of others, particularly of the male persuasion.

"I'm sure I can find it on my own," Nick offered.

"No, that's fine." Belle answered. "I'll be at Granny's around 6:45." She wasn't sure what Rumplestiltskin was trying to do, but ultimately, she trusted him. Whenever they had a moment alone again, she was certain he would tell her. He promised to protect her and he always kept his promises.

* * *

Belle opted to drive instead of walk, so the time that she and Dr. Rush spent together was minimal. Less chance of a fight breaking out between them again though Belle determined to hold her temper. They barely said two words to each other in the car and they successfully arrived at the sprawling Victorian with no feathers ruffled.

"It's pink," Nick commented as they made their way up the sidewalk.

"It's salmon," Belle corrected mildly. "Don't say 'pink' in front of him unless you want to listen to an hour of the finer points of color shades."

"Salmon it is."

Their dinner was filled with questions about where Nick had come from and his experiences on board the spacecraft and various planets. Belle had to admit feeling a pang of jealousy. She always wanted to see the world but never thought about seeing other worlds. It held a certain appeal but she realized once the barriers came down around Storybrooke, the world she found herself in would be large enough to explore. And hopefully, she would have her true love with her to do the exploring. Perhaps even his son.

However, after dessert, the mood seemed to shift from easy conversation to heavy unease. So much so, Nick excused himself and opted to walk back to Granny's. Belle offered to drive him but he politely declined and took his leave with thanks for the meal. They had made it through the entire evening without one harsh word between them and it left her feeling hopeful that they could conduct themselves politely. Perhaps he wouldn't yell at his students come Monday either.

"I wouldn't count on it."

Belle folded her napkin and dropped it on the table. "Wouldn't count on what?"

Rumplestiltskin just smiled. "He'll be shouting at his student's within the first ten minutes of his class on Monday."

"Perhaps you should warn him and his ears."

"I will, have no doubt."

Belle watched as the smile faded from his face, a touch of sadness replacing the good humor. The heavy feeling returned and she finally recognized it. When she concentrated enough, magic acted as a weather vane for Rumplestiltskin, twisting with his shifting moods. She reached out and took his hand. "What is it?"

"You're not happy."

A nervousness bubbled up and settled behind her rib cage. "We all are living in a curse, Rum. No one is happy right now."

"I don't care about everyone else's happiness but I do care about yours."

The nervousness fluttered into hope. He was tired of their living arrangements, weary of the distance between them. He was going to ask her to come back, damn his own curse and they could truly be together. Here was her happy ending, finally.

But his lips were pressed together in a thin, straight line and he wouldn't raise his eyes to hers. "I want you to be happy, enjoy your life. God knows you've had enough of it taken from you."

Her hope shattered into a million pieces. It was the dungeon all over again. He was letting her go for a third time and the hurt, betrayal and anger overtook her. "You promised to protect me."

He sat back in the chair, all business now. "Believe me, dearie, I am."

"By letting me go? Again?" Tears sprang to her eyes but she refused to let them fall. "How can you still be a coward after everything that has happened to us?"

His cheek twitched as the word coward but he held his tongue.

Belle stood, smoothed her skirt and knotted her shaking fingers together. "You do realize that if you continue to send me away, I may just stay gone one of these times."

"I'm well aware of that."

She noticed how he seemed to choke on those words. "Why are you doing this? Why do you keep pushing me away?"

"To protect you."

"From what? What we have is true love!"

"It's not going to end well, Belle."

And then she understands. There were times at the Dark Castle when he would sequester himself, asking for her to go someplace on the other side of the fortress and just quietly read so he could concentrate on whatever the future decided to show him. "What did you see?"

He smiles sadly. "You'll get your happy ending, just not the way you think."

"So why do you need to push me away?"

"Because I promised to protect you and this is the best way that I can do that."

"You really don't understand the whole love thing do you?"

He stood up from the table slowly but with purpose. "I understand it enough to know I love you and want to ensure your happiness. I've lived long enough to value the joy that is found at the end of the ordeal and not sacrifice it for temporary happiness in the present."

"But-"

"Someday you'll understand." His smooth palm slid across her cheek, his thumb tracing her cheekbone. "Good bye, Belle."

She waited until he had disappeared into the recesses of the large house before letting her tears fall. She grabbed her purse and caught sight of the china cabinet in the corner of the room. The last time she had stormed out of his home she told him that all he would have was an empty heart and a chipped cup. Before she could talk herself out of it, she opened the cabinet and swiped the cup with the chipped rim.

She wouldn't leave empty handed this time.


	3. Chapter 3

**True Love's Proof**

**Chapter Three**

He had spent too long around people living on a knife's edge of tension not to pick up on it when he sensed it. It had become almost a sixth sense for Nick Rush, to know when to leave a volatile situation but staying away from it afterwards, he still had to learn. He made a large loop around the neighborhood where Rumplestiltskin lived, thankful to breathe actual air and have the freedom to be outside.

By the time he passed by the house, he saw Belle sitting in her car. When she didn't start the car, he walked up the driveway to check on her. Rumplestiltskin wanted him to keep tabs on her and even though she was sitting in his driveway, Nick felt compelled to check on her anyway. She jumped when he tapped on the passenger side window but opened the door for him.

"Everything alright?"

She swiped at her eyes. "Fine."

Her voice was thick with previously shed tears and she refused to look at him. She was far from fine and it really wasn't his business. He noticed her fiddling with a small tea cup with blue roses and a chip in the rim and decided to change the subject. "What's that?"

She turned the cup over her hand once, her eyes glistening in the dark. "It's just a cup."

He can tell by the inflection it was anything but just a cup. He started to tell her he was only checking on her when she dropped the cup into her purse and started the car.

"You want that ride back to Granny's now?"

"I would much rather make sure you make it home safely." He doesn't know where this chivalry came from, but it produced a tiny smile from her and he doesn't feel like a complete fool.

"Storybrooke isn't exactly ridden by crime. I'll make it home just fine."

"It doesn't have to be crime ridden. All it takes is one-"

"I'll be fine."

"If it's all the same to you-"

"Well it's not." She snapped. "Granny's or get out, Dr. Rush."

He opened his mouth to tell her exactly what he thought about her silly stubbornness when he was being nothing but nice, _nice dammit, _ but then realized they were well on their way into an argument. Again. After something upsetting had happened between her and Rumplestiltskin, no less. "Granny's then."

She pulled out of the driveway and he glanced up at the darkened windows of the Victorian home. "So how do you know Rumplestiltskin?"

Belle released a slow breath through her nose. "It's a long story."

"Are you two...together?" He was stepping over boundaries but then again, he was never one that cared about such things. He wanted to know where she and Rumplestiltskin stood, why he was supposed to keep an eye on her. Was it a jealousy issue or was someone out to harm her? If it was the first, he could keep the details vague when he reported back to Rumplestiltskin. She was a grown woman and he wasn't about to help a jealous lover tighten his grip. If it was the other reason, well, he wasn't about to lay down his life for this girl when a full crew on Destiny needed him.

"That's the question of the night apparently."

"Quite forthcoming with your answers, I see."

"Fine," she sat up straighter in her seat. "Tell me about the last woman you loved and how it went horribly wrong."

That finally silenced him until she parked in front of the bed and breakfast. He unbuckled the seat belt, opened the door but turned back to her. "My wife died of cancer and the last woman I loved ended up murdered but her conscience is now in a quarantined section of the Destiny's computer system where I can't reach her." He stepped out of the car. "Goodnight, Miss French."

And he shut the door, stopping any response that may have come from her. He heard the car pull away but refused to turn around to see for himself. When he entered the building, Granny was sitting behind the desk with a cup of tea, knitting.

"Dr. Rush."

"Mrs. Lucas."

"I have a favor to ask of you."

He really wasn't in the mood in for this right now. "Don't trust Rumplestiltskin. Stay away from Belle French and don't come in so late."

She never even paused in her knitting. "Are you done?"

He was starting to feel a headache coming. "Yes."

"Good." She set her work down and took off her glasses. "My granddaughter dropped out of high school but now she's talking of making a life for herself here, in this world. She wants to be a veterinarian and the vet in town has already offered her the intern position but she needs a GED on file. The only subject she needs help with is the sciences. You help her pass the GED and I'll give you'll that room for free for as long as you need it."

"That's...very generous of you, Mrs. Lucas."

"Maybe if you dropped the attitude, you would find people willing to be generous towards you more often."

"That hasn't been my experience but I'll take it into consideration. What time would you like me to meet with her?"

"Tomorrow morning at nine. She has to start work at the diner at noon."

"Tomorrow at nine it is." He started towards the stairs when the phone at the front desk rang. As far as he knew, he was the only guest there so he hung around for the duration of the call. It was a short conversation and she hung up with a confused look on her face.

"That was Belle French."

"Oh?" He tried to keep his unease out of his voice and expression.

"She wanted me to tell you that she got home just fine."

He released the breath he had been holding. "Good. Thank you."

Granny snatched up her knitting. "Watch yourself, Dr. Rush. Everyone in town gives Belle French a wide berth for a reason."

He nodded his understanding and quickly headed up to his room. He indulged in another shower and was in possession of enough energy to actually crawl underneath the sheets this time. But despite how tired he felt, he couldn't fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Gloria. He hadn't realized just how similar Belle and Gloria were, well spoken, strong minded women who made questionable decisions in men.

It was no surprise to him that when he finally did fall asleep, his dreams were plagued with hospital beds, violin music and two women having tea, commiserating over the men they had chosen to love.

* * *

Nick drank five cups of coffee the following morning in attempt to stay awake through Red's tutoring session. She was bright when she stopped second guessing herself which only made him think of Eli and how far the MIT drop out had come. He pushed through the basics of chemistry in the three hour window he had and once she worked through the bookwork he assigned her, she should do just fine. Next week he promised physics and tried to ignore it when she rolled her eyes on the way out the door.

He cleaned the coffee pot for good measure, not wanting to cross Granny Lucas in any way, before heading to the pawnshop. Despite his determination to stay out of the personal affairs of others, he couldn't find it in himself to leave this particular situation alone. Gloria would continue to haunt his dreams just as she was dogging his steps through this time-suspended town. Nothing made sense here and he had to find something to understand, to fix. Destiny had just further trained him to find solutions to problems. Air, water, energy, food, repairs, there was always something that needed fixed.

Rumplestiltskin was behind the counter writing in a ledger when Nick came through the door. "Ah, Dr. Rush. How are you this afternoon?"

"Fine. Have you heard from Belle today?"

The good natured smile vanished completely. "No. Is something the matter?"

"You tell me. I ran into her last night after dinner. She seemed most upset."

Rumplestiltskin closed the ledger and laid the pen on top of it reverently. "Yes, I know. I would appreciate it if you would continue to keep watch over her during this time."

They both were upset over this, separation? Was that even the right word? He didn't know what was going on between them but it was obvious neither one wanted it to be happening. "I don't understand what's going on and frankly, it's none of my business. But I can tell you from personal experience, time spent with someone you love shouldn't be squandered."

A razor blade smile cut across Rumplestiltskin's face. "You're talking to the wrong person about time squandering, dearie."

Dearie? That was a new name he hadn't been called before. "All I'm saying is..." And he couldn't. That familiar constriction of his throat closed out the words and if he turned around, he would see Gloria standing behind him.

"I see," Rumplestiltskin said, the edge knocked off of his voice. "You have ghosts that follow you around as well."

"My wife died of cancer while I was trying to solve an ancient mathematical equation. When I should have been by her side."

"But that's life, Dr. Rush." He made a flourish with one of his hands. "Everyone has a choice. Everyone has a price to pay for those choices."

"Another person, one that you love, shouldn't have to pay the price though."

"You don't think of guilt as a price?"

Nick ran a hand over his face. "I hadn't thought about it that way."

"Here's the trick though, knowing when the debt has been paid. There has to come a time in your life when you realize you've paid enough and move on. That too, is a choice." He turned away briefly. "And that's the hardest choice of them all."

"Why are you pushing her away?"

"Why do you care so much?"

Nick clenched his jaw to keep any words from coming out. He knew enough of jealousy to read it in the other man's eyes. He had to answer this carefully so he wouldn't find himself out of this man's good graces and lose a job that will keep him fed. "She reminds me of my wife. That's all."

Rumplestiltskin scrutinized him with narrowed eyes for a moment. "I see. Between you and me, my time is limited and I want to know she has others around her to protect and care for her when that time runs out."

It doesn't take Nick long to interpret what was just said to him. "You want me to take care of her? That's impossible. She'll have better luck out in the real world on her own. If she goes with me, I'll be taking her back to a ship that's in complete disrepair and billions of light years from Earth. I damned over 80 people by putting them on that ship and I will not do it to another person."

Rumplestiltskin actually smiled. "That's the thing you'll learn about Belle. No one decides her fate but her. If she wants to go with you, she will."

"I won't allow it."

"Choices, Dr. Rush. We all have to make our own choices and we can't make decisions for other people."

Nick knew the answer to the question before he even asked it. "This, time limit, are you sick?"

Rumplestiltskin shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Let's just say I can see the handwriting on the wall and there's nothing to do to change it."

"I've seen my share of handwriting on the wall and I have changed it." Nick took a deep breath. "Perhaps you need to make a different choice."

* * *

Nick had another rough night and spent the first couple hours of Sunday morning drinking multiple cups of coffee and reading the local paper. The words blended together and he wasn't retaining anything he was reading. Eventually, he took to working out equations on the napkins in an effort to wake up and make some use of his day. He didn't see Belle at all yesterday and would have to figure out how to track her down today.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

He looked up to see Belle standing there, an unsure look on her face. He nodded and she slid easily into the booth. He wished all his problems were so easily solved. "Are you alright?"

She shrugged and gazed out of the window. "I spoke with him yesterday evening. He told me you had stopped by and nobly attempted to fix things for us."

Nick tried to keep his teeth from grinding. From the outside, it looked like an act of kindness from Rumplestiltskin, speaking of Nick's good deeds. But now that Nick knew Rumplestiltskin's endeavor to endear him to Belle, it was ten times more sinister. He now wondered if the physics teacher's car accident was really an accident. Well, Rumplestiltskin wasn't the only puppet master in town anymore.

"Well," Nick folded his hands on the table, "when two people love each other, they should be together."

"Especially when it's true love." She glanced down at the equations decorating the napkins. "I suppose someone who makes their living out of understanding such set things doesn't believe in something like true love."

"Show me the proof and I'll believe in it."

"It's not something you can see written down. You have to feel it."

He hmmed into his coffee mug. "I usually make it a point not to believe in something that can't be seen or proven."

"You know in the fairytales where true love's kiss breaks the curse? That happened to us. I saw with my own eyes as Rumplestiltskin's curse started to recede. That is proof enough for me."

Nick folded his hands around the mug. "So where's your happy ending?"

Belle's confidence wavered and her gaze turned back out the window. "Out there, being a complete and utter ass about it."

"So you can have true love but not a happy ending? There's a missing page out of the storybooks."

"If you're so cynical about it, why did you go talk to him yesterday?"

Nick took a steadying breath. "Because I have seen people with limited time dance around each other until it's too late."

"Like your wife?"

"Indeed."

"What happened to her? Rum wouldn't tell me."

"She died."

Belle shook her head. "You two really are so similar."

Nick grabbed another napkin and started another equation. "I've said my piece, to the both of you now, and I will not bother with your personal issues anymore."

"Fair enough." Belle started to get up from the table but paused.

Nick looked up to see what had stopped her departure to see a man standing there by their booth. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, clean shaven, thick dark hair and earnest brown eyes. He was dressed nicely in jeans, a plaid shirt and a leather jacket. Nick glanced over at Belle and saw she was just as thrown off as he was by the stranger's appearance. Nick pulled his glasses off and tried to figure out what to say when the stranger broke into an unsure smile. His hands clenched and unclenched in nervousness.

"Hello, Papa."

Nick looked over to Belle for help but her hand was over her mouth, her eyes wide and he really wished someone would tell him on who this was. The stranger stepped forward, closer to them.

"It's me, Papa. It's Bae."


	4. Chapter 4

**True Love's Proof**

**Chapter Four**

If someone had told her that she would be thankful for having Nick Rush beside her when the world turned in on itself, Belle would have laughed. However, sitting across from a man who claimed to be Rumplestiltskin's son, all of the questions she should be asking choked each other out and silenced her.

It was Nick who was grilling the man while Belle examined his answers. It didn't help matters that the only thing Rumplestiltskin ever said about his son was he had lost him. That wasn't a lot with which to gauge truthful answers.

His name in this world was Benjamin Spinner. He tried to keep Baelfire but the social worker that handled his case had thought it was a name from an overactive imagination. When Bae had insisted keeping some kind of tie to his father, it was the social worker that suggested "Spinner" as the surname.

"How did you know your father would be here in Storybrooke?"

Belle held her breath, knotting her fingers underneath the table. It was the first to-the-point question that Nick had asked and a very important one.

Bae looked between the two of them. "He's here? He's really here?"

Belle squeezed her hands to keep them from shaking. "If you didn't know he was here, why did you come?"

Bae's eyes shifted and roved over the cafe. "It's not an easy answer, I'm afraid."

Belle watched Nick's head bob in understanding. "Then it isn't going to be very easy to find your father."

She wanted to hug the obstinate man for his protective streak towards Rumplestiltskin. But she was surprised to see his disinterest in Bae's plight actual produced results. Bae had reached into his pocket and produced a folded piece of paper.

"I'm not proud of this." He offered the page to Belle.

It was a letter, written in a child's hand. Belle bit her lip as she skimmed over the words. Yet another lost child searching desperately for a lost father. Just when the full realization of who signed the letter settled in her mind, someone barreled through the front door of the diner. Belle quickly folded the letter and passed it back quickly to Bae who returned it to his pocket before turning in his seat to see who had come into the restaurant.

Emma was standing there, eyes wide and pale with shock. She raised a shaking finger in Bae's direction. "Get the hell out of here."

Bae looked equally surprised to see her. "Emma..."

"Get out." She repeated in a steadier voice. "You can't have him. You stay away from us."

Belle saw a brief flicker of anger in Bae's eyes in that moment she could see Rumplestiltskin in his features. But he managed to push it down as he stood to face the Sheriff.

"You never told me."

"It was never your business."

"Let's move this outside, shall we?" Nick cut across the both of them. Amazingly enough, Bae and Emma started to move towards the door. Belle quietly followed the trio out of Granny's and noticed a brief nod of thanks pass between Nick and Granny. However by moving things outside only allowed for the voices to be raised even higher.

"What do you mean this isn't my business?" Bae pulled out the letter and held it up for Emma to see. "He's my son!"

Emma leaned up close to him and dropped her voice low. "No, he's my son."

"Only because you never told me about him. Emma, you know I never would left you in a lurch-"

"But you did, Ben. You left me in that jail-"

"I was in the middle of my training. I tried-"

"Bullshit." Emma stepped back. "You leave us alone."

Belle watched the Sheriff stalk off down the sidewalk, Bae following close at her heels and wove her fingers together to keep them from reaching out to anyone. This was not going well, something that should be a joyous occasion was now marked with threats and shouts. Was that the way of things, here in this cursed world? Nick was staring at her, waiting for answers most likely.

"Henry," Belle said shakily. "Henry wrote the letter to Bae."

"The mayor's son?"

"The mayor's adopted son. Emma is his birth mother."

Nick scrubbed a hand across his face. "I thought relationships on Destiny were complex."

"Welcome to Storybrooke."

"Are you comfortable with taking him to Rumplestiltskin?"

Belle nodded slowly. "I think it's up to him though. He didn't come here looking for his father."

"Doesn't change the fact that his father is here. What kind of reception will he receive?"

Belle remembered with painful clarity finding the forgotten child's room in the Dark Castle, the abandoned clothes and dusty toys. He had kept her chipped cup and welcomed her back with tears and embraces despite whatever it was that was now causing him to push her away. "He would be warmly received, I have no doubt."

Bae came back around the corner, hands shoved in his pockets and shoulders tight. His resolve was rock solid when he rejoined Belle and Nick.

"I want to see my father."

Nick nodded and headed in the direction of Rumplestiltskin's home, Bae right on his heels. Belle fell into line numbly, trying to figure out how to deal with the two emotions warring inside of her. Bae would get his reunion with his father, tear soaked and genuine, that bridge would be mended. Knowing Rumplestiltskin the way she did, he would most likely help Bae gain contact, possible custody even, with Henry as well.

But there was the little wisp of jealousy underneath everything. She had been welcomed back in a tearful embrace only to be cast out for some unknown reason. As much as she didn't want to feel it, there was a small part that hoped he would do the same to Bae. At least she would know it wasn't her but that he was driving everyone from him.

She hated herself for feeling that way though. Her true love was about to be reunited with the son he feared lost forever to him. Despite the selfish twist in her gut, she was happy for him, even if it hurt.

* * *

Belle was thankful for it being Sunday evening. Her father always came over to her apartment for Sunday dinner and after seeing Bae to Rumplestiltskin's front door, she was thankful for something to do with her hands. The fact that her happiness was tainted by the touch of anger and jealousy bothered her to no end. She hoped that by tomorrow morning her joy would be all that remained.

She glanced over her shoulder to check on Nick, who was still seated at her small kitchen table, scribbling down more equations. She had invited him to join her and her father for dinner tonight more because she didn't want to be alone with her conflicted feelings. She was slightly surprised that he agreed with no fuss but chalked it up to a day of miracles.

"Thank you," she said quietly, pausing in the middle of chopping vegetables for the soup.

Nick didn't even look up from his notebook. "For what?"

"For asking all those questions, for looking out for Rumplestiltskin."

His pencil paused briefly before he nodded and kept writing.

"Why did you do it?"

The pencil stopped again but this time he set it down. "I don't know."

She "hmmed" quietly and went back to slicing carrots. Nick and Rumplestiltskin were so similar in more than just looks. It seemed both were afraid of the implications of feeling emotions. There had to be a part that cared about Rumplestiltskin or else he wouldn't have been bothered to ask Bae those questions. Or maybe it wasn't Rumplestiltskin that he was concerned over but her. He knew that Rumplestiltskin was her true love, her happiness was tied to him and Nick was protecting that.

The thought startled her so much that the knife she was using neatly sliced into the tip of her finger. She managed to quiet her cry down to a gasp and was able to get her finger over the sink by the time she heard the chair scrape on the vinyl floor.

"Belle?"

"I'm fine," she glanced over her shoulder and was surprised to see him standing next to her already. "I just cut my finger. It's nothing." She turned on the faucet and ran the cut under the water flow.

"Do you have a first aid kit?"

"That's not really necessary."

His hand closed around hers and gently turned it slightly so he could see the damage. Belle's breath caught briefly at the touch and his proximity. Yes, his concern was for her and that only added to her conflicted emotions right now. He released her hand and stepped back, allowing her to breathe again.

"Still, you're going to need to bandage that or," he shot her a half smile, "I finish chopping the vegetables."

"Bandages are in the bathroom, cabinet underneath the sink."

When he left the room, she turned the water off and wrapped her finger in a paper towel. While she waited for Nick to return with the bandages and thought how easily Rumplestiltskin would have handled this situation. A quick wave of his hand and all would have been well. She would have insisted she didn't need magic for such a minor thing but he wouldn't pay her any mind and heal it anyway. But he wasn't here right now and the towel she had wrapped around the finger was slowly turning red. He wasn't here because he chose not to be and that flash of anger came to the surface again.

The coincidence of Nick's arrival and Rumplestiltskin's shunning did not go unnoticed to her. There was something that was happening, in the background of the town or curse, she didn't know. But it was clearly being kept from her. It was moments like these she had to keep herself from stalking out of her home to see him, give him a decent shake and remind him that true love is the most powerful magic. How could he not realize that yet? Nick returned with a box of band aids and a tube of anti-biotic ointment.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Belle swallowed a sigh, recognizing a stubborn streak when she saw one. She expected him to be rough, his verbal callousness bleeding into his physical touch but he surprised her. He was painfully focused on the task of cleaning, drying and bandaging properly, she was afraid to  
breathe in case it disturbed him. She waited until he finished before asking a question that had been on her mind since the previous evening.

"Why you?"

He gathered up the supplies, his eyes refusing to meet hers. "What?"

"Why did Rumplestiltskin pick you for me?"

For a moment it looked like he was avoid the question or feign ignorance but then decided against it. "I don't know. He asked me to watch over you, keep you safe, from what, I don't know."

"Did he say why?"

Nick shook his head. "Something about handwriting on the wall and not being able to change it."

She nodded. "That's what I thought."

He tossed the bandage wrappings in the trashcan. "Care to elaborate on that?"

Belle went back to finishing cutting up the carrots and dumping them into the soup. "Rumplestiltskin can see the future. Some times are clearer than others. He must be very certain this time."

"He doesn't think it can be changed, whatever it is."

Belle stared into the broth and tried not to cry. Her worst fears had just been confirmed. He had seen the end, whether it was his or the towns, it didn't matter. He saw the end and he provided her with a new protector. He was keeping his promise but then again, he always did.

* * *

Someone was pounding on her door.

Belle rolled over and glared at the neon green numbers of the alarm clock. It was four eighteen in the morning. She laid her head back on the pillow and willed herself to be brave. She didn't expect the end to come so soon.

"Miss French?"

It was the Sheriff. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes and she pulled her robe on with shaky hands. _Do the brave thing and bravery will follow. Do the brave thing and bravery will follow. Do the brave thing-_

She opened the door and saw Emma's face fall slightly. Just another person in Storybrooke who wore leather armor to cover the emotions that were so close to the surface. "Sheriff Swan."

"Miss French. May I come in?"

Belle folded her arms across herself. "You're not here for a social call. What's happened?"

Emma actually looked sympathetic but steeled herself. "Mr. Gold had a heart attack tonight. I'm sorry."

"Was anyone with him?"

"Yeah," Emma stared down at her boots. "His son was with him."

"Good. No one should be alone at that...time."

"Do you want me to call someone for you? Dr. Hopper? Your father?"

Belle shook her head. "No, thank you."

Emma shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "I thought you should hear it from me. I know you two were, um..."

"Thank you, Sheriff."

"Belle, if you need to talk to someone, anyone," she took a deep breath, "call me."

Belle managed a smile. Apparently she wasn't the only one trying to be brave tonight. "I will keep that in mind, Emma."

Emma gave her a brief nod and quickly left back into the night. Belle closed the door and suddenly didn't know what to do with herself. She turned the lamp on by the couch and sank down. It was true love, shouldn't she have felt something when he...she couldn't even think the word just yet. The enjoyable dinner she had just shared with her father and Nick seemed to have happened a lifetime ago.

A sharp knock at the door startled her. Maybe Emma had gone ahead and called Dr. Hopper anyway. She really wasn't in the mood to be consoled. She needed to be brave now. She needed to be strong. But the knocking persisted with more force than she had ever seen the good doctor use.

Perhaps it was her father, but he had a key. Standing up, she stood by the door for a moment.

"Who is it?"

"It's Nick. Bae's at Granny's, he told me what happened."

She wasn't sure she take looking at him right now, seeing the similar face. "I'm alright, Nick."

"I would prefer to see that for myself."

Of course he would. He was her protector now. Her protector was gone now.

"Belle?"

She hadn't realized she had sobbed until she tried to draw in breath for another one. She fumbled with the lock and finally managed to turn the door knob. Nick looked drawn and disheveled but she didn't allow herself to dwell on the details. Pressing her cheek against his shoulder, she let herself cry. She had promised to go with Rumplestiltskin for forever. She had rested in the comfort that they would be together for the rest of time.

But no one told her that forever could be so short.


	5. Chapter 5

**True Love's Proof**

**Chapter Five**

Nick spent the early morning hours sitting on the floor, holding a limp Belle as tight as possible and watching the sun creep its way across the floor of her apartment. He wasn't sure if he believed in true love but he knew what it felt like when a significant other was lost. Her happy ending had slipped through her fingers and life, even here in this time and space bubble, was cruel.

He distracted himself with mundane facts. It was Monday. He would need to call the school for substitutes. He had thought about going in himself but there was another place he needed to be this morning. The mundane started to give way to less boring subject matter. He had only spoken to Bae Spinner for a couple hours before rushing over to check on Belle, but the prodigal son had a lot of interesting things to say in that time.

He checked his watch and when seven o'clock came around, he finally shifted from his position off the floor. Belle was light enough for him to pick up and put her back down on the couch. He thought about returning her to her bed but didn't want to leave her alone while he had a couple phone calls to make. Waking up alone would only make matters worse. He had promised to take care of her and he was going to make good on that promise.

He pulled a blanket off the back of a chair and draped it over her before going into the kitchen to use her phone. He could still watch her in case she woke. It was easy to find her father's phone number which was clipped on her refrigerator. He hoped he wasn't waking up Maurice French but when the upbeat voice came across the line, it sounded like French had drank an entire pot of coffee already.

"Good morning, sweet!"

"Morning, Mr. French."

There was a beat of silence. "Dr. Rush?"

"Yes, I was-"

"Belle?"

"She's fine. She's...sleeping. I was wondering if you could come over and be with her this morning."

"What's happened?"

Nick glanced into the living room and Belle was still curled on the couch. "Rumpelstiltskin passed away last night."

"Oh. I see." Maurice cleared his throat. "I'll be right there."

Nick hung up the phone, took a steadying breath and picked it up again. He pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and dialed the number that was written on it. The voice that answered was rough and weary.

"How is she?"

Nick glanced into the living room again. "She's...I don't know. How are you?"

Bae managed a grunt. "Same."

"Her father is coming over to stay with her and I'll meet you at the Sheriff's office at nine."

"Thanks. I don't know if Emma will even believe me."

"You made a good case last night. She'll have to at least listen to you."

"Yeah, well," Bae sighed. "Bad blood tends to blind some people."

Nick leaned against the doorway of the kitchen. "That is does." How many times had squabbles between him and Young endangered the entire crew? How many times had he lied to the man because he knew that bad blood wouldn't have allowed Young to accept the truth from him? How many times had Young lied to him for the same reason?

"I better get cleaned up. I'll see you at the Sheriff's office at nine."

"Alright."

"And thanks, Nick."

Nick couldn't bring himself to respond before the line disconnected. Quietly, he hung up and went back to his mental checklist. By the time Maurice arrived at the apartment, Nick has substitutes in for the entire week for Belle and two days for himself. Her father had let himself into the apartment and was grim faced as he set about making some coffee.

"How did he die?"

Nick pulled out three mugs. "They're saying heart attack."

Maurice grunted.

"You're not convinced?"

"Well," Maurice looked into the living room where Belle slept on. "He didn't exactly endear himself to many people. But Belle, my brave girl, she loved him. But she was most likely the only one to do so."

Nick poured himself a cup of coffee. "True love, she called it."

"Aye. True love it was." Maurice rallied himself. "Back to your question, if it was a heart attack, fine but if it came out that someone killed him, I wouldn't raise my eyebrows over it. There would be a hell of a lot of suspects though so don't be surprised if it's all swept under the carpet."

Nick nodded slowly, the caffeine chasing away the lack of the sleep. Maurice French was someone who didn't like the idea of who his daughter had given her heart to but wasn't about to step between her and her love. If anyone wanted Rumplestiltskin out of the picture and want it forgotten about, Maurice would be a good place to start. But the concern that was etched on his face as he watched his sleeping daughter spoke to him not doing anything to cause her grief.

As he sat and kept vigil with Maurice, Nick wondered if Emma's attitude towards Bae would cause her to see a tragic death as nothing more or if she would be able to see come inconsistencies in the situation. Bae thought the former while Nick held out hope in the latter.

* * *

Nick was shocked that Bae's assessment of the Sheriff was correct, right down to the length of time she tried to stare them down. Bae had said his piece, stated his belief that his father had been poisoned and begged Emma to request an autopsy. Vomiting, shortness of breath and stupor were all signs of a heart attack but a seizure was not. It sounded logical to Nick, who had an entire night to mull it over, but Emma looked unconvinced. Bad blood blindness indeed.

"Bae, why don't you wait outside for a minute," Nick suggested. Perhaps if he removed the source of the negative feelings, Emma might see things a little more clearly. It could explain why Camille was always speaking to Young and him separately when a rift was evident. Bae agreed and quietly left the private office. Nick waited until the door clicked before he leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "What's going on?"

Emma narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"A man comes in here asking you to investigate his father's death as a possible homicide and you seem more than reluctant."

"It's not uncommon for a man Gold's age to have a heart attack."

"Or a brain anerysm, stroke or even get hit by a car. What's your point?"

"Dr. Whale called it a heart attack."

"Mr. Spinner is calling it something else."

"_Mr. _Spinner is not a doctor."

"No," Nick agreed, "however, he is a professional firefighter, trained to respond to emergency situations, heart attacks being one of them. If this had been a heart attack, he would have been able to help his father."

Emma crossed her arms. "Maybe he didn't want to help his father. First time in town, first time seeing his father in I don't know how long and oddly enough, his father is dead before the sun rises."

"If that were case, Sheriff, he wouldn't be in here asking you to for an autopsy and investigation."

"Not unless he thought he could get away with it."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Now you're just be willingly obstinate."

"Fine." Emma leaned forward in her chair. "What has you so convinced this isn't a natural causes death?"

"What has you convinced that it is?"

Emma frowned deeply, casting a dark look out into the station. "Fine. I'll ask Dr. Whale for an autopsy. Any idea where the poison was placed in the house?"

"Bae said his father was drinking a tumbler of scotch before he collapsed."

"Scotch. Got it. I'll go over there right now and get it."

Nick raised his hand. "There's one more matter that needs to be discussed."

"What's that?"

"Henry needs to know his father is here."

Emma's mood flared from uncomfortable to furious. "That situation is none of your business."

"I have a feeling it's going to become my business since Bae and I are the only residents at Granny's. He confided in me about his suspicions of his father's death. It's only time before he starts getting me involved in the real reason why he came to Storybrooke."

Emma was staring at him wide eyed and pale. "His real reason?"

"Henry wrote him that letter."

"I told Henry that his father died fighting a fire."

Nick shrugged and stood up. "Well, take heart. You're not the first parent to lie to their child thinking it's in their best interest."

* * *

After the meeting with Emma, Nick and Bae spent the rest of the day back at Belle's apartment. There were a few people who came and went throughout the day. He recognized only a handful of them, Granny and Red, of course, being two of them. He was introduced to Dr. Hopper, who spent a good amount of time speaking to Belle in quiet tones over cups of hot tea. He was able to meet Snow White and Prince Charming and somehow kept a straight face. He had no idea how to explain this experience when he returned to Destiny.

But when evening came, the guests had dwindled down to Maurice, Bae and Nick. Every face held their own personal grief and weariness. Maurice was pained for his daughter, Bae was facing wasted years both before and after a brief reunion with a lost father and Belle, she was facing the expanse of a lost happily ever after. As for him personally, he was just tired of seeing death and its repercussions.

When eight o'clock came around, Belle cleared her throat and sat up straight on the couch. She tucked her feet underneath of her and turned to Bae. "Tell me about your reunion with your father."

"Are you sure you want to hear about that? Right now?"

She folded her hands primly on her lap. "Yes. I want to know he had some happiness last night."

Bae was quiet for a moment before a small smile appeared. "Well, you were right. He did welcome me. He was very...relieved." Bae's voice broke on the word.

Belle nodded slowly. "He was very concerned about the experiences you had to endure on your own."

"He obsessively worried, you mean."

Belle smiled slowly and sadly. "Always thought the worst of every situation."

Bae chuckled. "Yeah, that's him. But I assured him that I was placed with a nice family who took care of me. That I didn't have any horrific trials or situations that I needed to overcome. That seemed to calm him. I told him about my job and," Bae looked down at his hands, "and Henry."

"I bet he liked the idea of you having a son. And that he knew your son."

"Yeah, he did."

"You're not going to leave Storybrooke now, are you?"

Bae shook his head. "No. I came to get to know my son. I'm going to continue to try. My father never stopped looking for me. I need to follow his example and just endure."

Belle patted his hand but her momentary strength was slipping away. Exhaustion pulled down her shoulders and she seemed to melt into the cushions on the couch. Bae seemed to feel the same way but stood up instead.

"I should get back to Granny's. We all need some sleep."

Maurice spoke up for the first time in hours. "I'll stay here tonight with Belle."

She nodded tiredly.

Nick promised to stop by tomorrow morning and she gave him a flicker of a smile before he left with Bae. The two of them walked slowly to Granny's in silence until Bae's cell phone buzzed. He pulled the phone out and checked the text message before handing it over to Nick to read for himself. It was from Emma and as always, it was straight to the point.

_Anti-freeze in the scotch. _


	6. Chapter 6

**True Love's Proof**

**Chapter Six**

By the morning of the funeral, Emma had a suspect in custody. It was a routine visit to a friend's house when Snow White stumbled upon a bottle of antifreeze in the back of a closet. The identity had the town full of whispers and sad shakes of the head. Regina smirked at a distance, once again escaping the narrowing noose of justice. As much as Emma hated the woman, she wouldn't pin a murder on the former Mayor that she did not commit. A true Charming through and through.

Belle dressed for the funeral, a small graveside gathering and nothing more, but went to the Sheriff's office first. She told her father and Nick, her two constant companions these last couple days, that she would meet them at the cemetery. She had to face the murderess herself with her head high and wearing her bravery like armor. She had to show herself strong and courageous on this day above all others.

Emma greeted her at the door of the office, grim face and dressed in dark shades of silk. "Are you sure about this?"

Belle offered a small smile. "Yes. I'm sure."

She left her purse on one of the empty desks and concentrated on the sharp tap of her heels on the linoleum floor. The woman behind the bars looked wretched. Her eyes were red-rimmed and shadowed, her face ashen and miserable. She was grieving too. Because of this decision, she had lost her freedom, her life...her daughter. So many lives affected by one hasty choice.

"Cinderella."

The woman can barely raise her eyes to look at her. "Belle, I'm so sorry."

Belle pressed her fingers into her palm, her nails digging painfully into the soft flesh. "Why?"

"He was going to take Alexandra or Thomas. I couldn't...I couldn't live without either one."

"So I'm suppose to live without him? His son is suppose to live without him?"

Ella's mouth opened and closed, twisting in the rush of tears. "I didn't know he had a son."

There were so many things that people didn't know about him and that was the tragedy of the whole event. The town thought a villain had been slayed. They didn't have the chance to see the softening of his features while he would spin, the twitchiness of his hands when he was nervous, or the soft rumble of a genuine laugh. No, she was the only one who had the privilege of being a witness to those quiet moments.

Belle didn't want to understand Cinderella's plight, but she did. Rum had destroyed an entire world to get into this one, the one that held his son. So what did it matter that Ella destroyed Belle's world to keep her own child? But that left Belle without her happily ever after now and she could decide if the fallen princess should be punished or reprieved. Thankfully, in this world, it wasn't up to her. Belle stepped away from the bars and retrieved her purse.

"I'll give you a ride over to the cemetery if you want," Emma offered.

"You're coming?"

Emma grabbed her keys and started to lock up. "I may not have trusted him as far as I could throw him, but he did offer me help when I really needed it. I think he was a lot more honest with me than I gave him credit for."

"Yes, he had that way about him." Belle slid into the passenger side of the yellow bug. "He thought very highly of you. And your parents, for that matter."

Emma didn't say anything until they were moving down main street. "What do you think should happen to her, to Ash-I mean, Cinderella?"

Belle rested her head on the cool glass of the window. "I don't know. I want to show her mercy, to understand why she did what she did but then I think back to all the years I spent locked up. I waited for three decades to be reunited with him and start our lives together finally. And now, now there's a humongous gap that will never be completely filled. Whatever happens to Ella will do nothing to fill that gap either so I can't say what I want done with her."

She wished Rum would have given her instructions, a book or letter that would let her know how she was suppose to cope with his loss. He knew it was coming, that much was clear by how he tried to push her away and in the direction of Nick. But she needed something more concrete to try to fill the crater that his absence left in her life. She wondered if he knew the end was coming this quickly or if he thought he had extra time.

Bae had suggested that they go back to his father's after the burial and the more she thought about it, the more comforting it sounded. She wondered what would happen to the large Victorian home as well as his shop. He had such a vast collection of things, things she had no idea of their capabilities. She hoped with all his foresight, he managed to hide or destroy anything that would be harmful in the wrong hands. Maybe he had left a letter detailing how he wanted his murderer to be dealt with as well.

Emma pulled up to the curb and turned the car off. "For what it's worth, I really am sorry."

Belle gave her a small smile. "That's worth a lot, thank you."

The crowd was small but her father, Bae and Nick were all waiting for her. Surprisingly, Emma stepped up to the group and addressed Bae.

"Are you still planning on going back to your father's house after the funeral?"

Bae looked just as off balance as Emma. "Yeah, I am."

Emma nodded and stared at the ground. "Maybe I'll, uh, stop by, with, um, Henry."

"That, that would be great. Thanks."

Belle grabbed both her father and Nick's arm to keep them from walking away with Emma and Bae. It didn't matter if that was all the conversation they were going to have that day, Emma and Bae were starting to meet each other half way. They were awkward, hurt and on uneven ground but they were together.

She watched them throughout the ceremony, never letting go of the two men who were flanking her. Belle was dimly aware that Regina had emerged from her solitude to stand in the back of the crowd. She saw that Nick had zeroed his sights on the former Queen and she let him engage in the staring contest, leaning more on her father's sturdy frame. When prayers had been said and the crowd started to disburse, her leaned down close to her ear.

"Did you put it in the casket?"

She started to answer but her throat closed so she nodded instead. She had gone to the funeral home herself and when she was allowed to say her final goodbye, she slipped the chipped cup into the satin folds of the casket lining. It was the only thing she could think of that properly represented her desire to have gone with him. She couldn't let herself start to cry now for the fear she wouldn't be able to stop. Instead, she let go of Nick and turned her face into her father's shoulder to hide the few tears that had escaped.

"Miss French?"

She lifted her head to see the man who had been King George in the other world, Storybrooke's district attorney now, standing in front of her. She did her best to remember her bearing in the presence of the once King. "Yes, sir?"

"There is the matter of his will."

She didn't want to hear this right now. Over George's shoulder she could see them lowering the casket into the ground and she didn't want to be here anymore. The only sound that she could make at the moment was a strangled sob. Her father squeezed her shoulder but it was Nick who spoke up first.

"I really don't think this is the time."

George looked over at Nick in surprise and then minor annoyance. "Do you know who I am?"

"Not at all and right now, I don't care. This can be discussed at a later time." Nick put himself between Belle and her father and King George.

Her father tugged her away from the confrontation and she allowed herself to be steered away from the graveyard. The last bit of conversation she could hear came from Nick who claimed he didn't rightly care if George had been king because he certainly wasn't one here. The desire to look back to see George's face was strong but that would mean she would see an empty hole in the ground. The desire to accidentally fall into the hole and be buried with her true love, she feared, was stronger than the one to see George's face.

* * *

Belle was surprised at how much she wanted to lose herself in the rambling pink house. She had even smiled briefly at the thought of being able to call it pink now instead of salmon. Her father had led her to the front porch but had some deliveries to make that afternoon. He was leaving her in the presence of Nick and Bae both or else she would have found herself making deliveries with him, she was sure. But Bae was busy staring out the front windows for Emma to bring Henry by and every time she turned around, she tripped over Nick.

She sent the scientist out to the garage to see if anything could help him return to his spaceship and get out from underneath her feet. But as she wandered around the second floor of the house, she missed his presence. He didn't try to placate her with "it'll be alright" or "I'm sorry." He did look at her with understanding because he had been in the wasteland where she found herself now. There were no words that would ease the pain so he didn't say any and she appreciated that more and more.

There were so many doors and rooms that she had never seen in the house and the discovery of guest rooms turned storage rooms were enough to distract her mind from the fact that the owner of the trinkets was never coming back for them. When she opened yet another door to some unknown room, she was surprised to see that it wasn't dust coated and stuffy. In fact, a window was cracked open and the Tiffany lamp on the mahogany desk was still lit. There was even a thick volume of some sort open on the desk.

Her chest constricted as she stepped into the room and could still catch the scent of his cologne. How many hours did he spend in this room for his presence to be so terribly strong? The books, volumes and volumes of them, lined the walls. Upon closer inspection, she found them all to be law books. Her fingers traced some of the spines and smiled sadly. His deals, he always loved his deals and the fine points he wove into them. She was certain his compulsion for details would have earned him some kind of label in this world but she appreciated his hawk eyed intensity to the minor things in life.

She was just about to see what he had been reading when the floorboards creaked in the hallway and revealed Emma standing in the doorway. The Sheriff paused on the threshold, unsure whether she would be welcome or not. For a savior, she was very unsure of herself. Belle gave her a slight nod.

"You can come in, Emma."

"If you want to be alone, I understand."

Belle managed a smile. "I don't mind."

Emma eased into the room, crossing and uncrossing her arms as she wandered around the office. "Where's Dr. Rush?"

"I banished him to the garage. If he's found anything to write with, he's probably doing equations on the walls out there."

"Man likes his math."

Belle touched the open book on the desk. "It's how he understands the world around him. We all have those particular things that help center us, gives us that way of reconciling events that happen to us."

"What's yours?"

Belle looked up at Emma and saw a pleading look in her eyes. The poor woman had been dumped into a world that went against everything she had believed to be true. She went from a foster care throw away to the savior of an entire town overnight. She was a loner when she rolled into Storybrooke and now she had a son and parents, all of whom wanted a piece of her heart. Belle understood that, that lost feeling of being in a world that always felt off kilter. Rum had been her stabilizer in this strange new world. Now she would have to go back to her original comfort.

"Books. Sometimes it's nice to get lost in another world with a different set of problems that always get resolved at the end."

Emma gave the law books a cursory glance before wrinkling her nose. "I'm not much of a reader. I'm more of a punch-the-problem-in-the-face kind of girl."

"You get that from your mother, so I hear."

The Sheriff sat down on a antique settee that had been placed under a bay window. "I just brought Henry over but didn't want to go far just in case..."

"That's understandable." Belle joined her on the small couch. "I know Bae appreciates you doing this."

Emma was strangely quiet, weaving her fingers together and loosening them once more. There was something, more than just having the weight of saving a world on her shoulders that was causing her to fidget the way she was. Belle had watched Rum's fingers dance through thin air whenever he was disturbed over something.

"So what is it exactly that you need to find that grounding for right now?"

Emma's eyes were fixed on a spot on the carpet. "Everything, I guess."

Belle bit back a sigh. "Not talking about what exactly is bothering you isn't going to help the matter."

"Yeah, well, you're going through your own stuff right now."

"If it makes you feel any better, I would prefer to deal with your problems than mine right now."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes until Emma stood up and started for the door. At first Belle thought that she was just going to leave but then the door shut with Emma leaning against it. Even with her forehead pressed against the door, Belle could still hear Emma's whispered admission.

"I'm scared."

"Of what exactly?"

Emma pushed herself away from the door and started pacing around the room. "I'm scared of letting people down, of losing Henry, of not being able to connect with my parents the way they want to connect with me." She paused, tightened her jaw and closed her eyes. "I'm scared of...of Ben."

Belle sat up straight, slightly alarmed at the confession. "Scared of him?"

Emma rubbed her forehead. "No, not scared of him. Scared of...the idea of him. Of him being Henry's father and in our lives now. Scared of what that means."

"You still love him."

Emma looked up at her with a mix of denial, anger and finally, hopelessness. "Shit."

Belle understood the sentiment. She stood up and went over to Emma, folding her arms around the taller woman. "Love is frightening because it is something that needs to be fought for. There are always obstacles. There are always challenges. But they are less scary when you let other people help you over come them."

"Is that what you told Gold?"

Belle could feel hot tears on her neck and bare shoulder and she was sure Emma could feel her own tears on her neck. "I tried but he didn't listen." She pulled back from Emma and gripped her shoulders as tightly as possible. "You listen. Please, listen."

Emma swallowed her tears and set her mouth in a firm line. "I'll try."

Belle gave her a hard look and that set line wavered into a slight smile.

"I will. I will listen."

Belle stepped back, tears still falling down her cheeks. "Good."

Emma went back to settee and dropped unceremoniously against the side. Henry and Bae's laughter drifted up the stairs and into the room. Belle wiped her tears away and went back to the open book on the desk. Her eyes skimmed over the words and she started to close the book when something caught her eye. A law concerning mothers and she smiled.

"I think I know what Rum wanted to see happen to Cinderella."

Emma gave her a slightly nervous look. "Oh yeah?"

Belle picked up the law book and read directly from it. "If a woman, who is a mother, commits murder due to a confirmed belief that her child is in danger, a judge is allowed to dismiss the charges if he or she sees fit." Belle lifted up the page marker that was used in the book and scanned over the circled part of the contract. "This is the contract that Ashley Boyd signed to give up the child. There's a clause in here stating that the home the child could be placed into did not have to pass a home inspection of the state. Certainly sounds like something a mother could see as dangerous."

"Are you okay with that? Letting her go free?"

Belle closed the law book and set it on the desk. "He never would want a parent separated from their child so yes, I'm okay with that."

Emma nodded. "I'll get in touch with the DA first thing tomorrow and see how quickly we can get this through."

"Good."

"Belle?" Emma patted the space next to her. "Why don't you tell me a little more about who Gold was?"

Belle smiled and took her place next to Emma on the small couch. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Once upon a time, there was little sea side village that was under attack by Ogres..."


	7. Chapter 7

**True Love's Proof**

**Chapter Seven**

He had stared down an evil queen and protected Belle from a tyrant king. He had gotten underfoot and been banished out to the three bay garage towards the back of the property. Despite being free to enjoy the fresh air and coffee, he missed Destiny. He missed working on problems that had a solution. He missed the simplicity of it all. Food, water, air. He took his glasses off and rubbed his face, feeling every year of his age.

There was death on Destiny, it certainly wasn't a stranger. Senator Armstrong, Riley, Telford...Ginn and Amanda. But there was no time for grief. Between ships exploding, gates closing and food running out, there was no time to process the loss. He would work, looking for solutions instead of healing until he was so tired he would fall into a coma, unable to cope with the fallout of the loss.

But Storybrooke was not Destiny. Food, water and air were plentiful here. There were no explosions or berserker drones to distract him. He had tried to go through the various boxes in the garage but dusty, broken antiques weren't exactly life threatening enough to distract him. He pulled out his notebook and started scribbling equations but even that didn't hold his attention.

"Dammit!" he snarled, throwing the pad down on a workbench. He gave up any pretense of doing anything worthwhile and stood by the only window in the garage. He could see the majority of the house from this vantage point. Belle was in there, somewhere, grieving, and most likely being more productive about it. He had nothing to offer her, no platitudes or words of comfort. Grief was something that needed to be plowed through, endured before it could be overcome.

Maybe he had pushed his grief off for too long. Perhaps Destiny herself kicked him into this time bubbled world so he could rest, mourn and then go back to survival mode. Maybe it wasn't something as random as a solar flare. It wouldn't be the first time Destiny tested those who were most beneficial to her.

"Hey."

Nick turned to see Belle standing in the doorway. She looked so small in her little black dress and arms crossed in front of her. "Hey."

"Did you find anything helpful out here?"

He shook his head as he picked up his notebook and slipped it into his jacket pocket.

"Well, I found something inside that might be interesting to you."

"What is it?" he asked, following her back into the house through the back door.

"I don't know, I didn't open the box. But your name was written on an envelope that was taped to it."

They entered into the kitchen and he saw she had set out two cups for tea. "Where is everyone else?"

Belle had a small smile on her face as she poured the tea. "Emma and Henry went out to dinner at the diner. And Bae went with them."

He would most likely hear the whole story when he got back to Granny's that night. "I'm surprised Emma was that welcoming."

"I don't know if welcoming is the correct word." She set the tea pot down between them and took the chair across the table from him. "Tolerant is a better term."

"Baby steps, I suppose."

Belle traced a mark on the table with her fingertip. "Baby steps."

Nick took a sip of the tea and forced himself to not to pull a face. He was never a tea drinker himself but Belle had made it and considering she had just buried her significant other, he would drink the tea leaves if he had to. Actually, peering into the cup, there were tea leaves settling on the bottom. But there were more important things to be dealt with then a cup of bad tea.

"Belle?"

Her face went taught with an attempt to hold back tears but was failing. "It's just...you think your life is going to be one thing but then it becomes another. You never think that the other path will ever end. I took Rumplestiltskin's offer to get out of an arraigned marriage." She smiles slightly. "He said he wasn't looking for love and neither was I."

"But you found it."

"We did. And I thought that was to be the end of it. Happily ever after and all that entails."

He started to reach for the cup but caught himself. "So what happened?"

"Regina, happened."

"The Evil Queen?"

Belle nodded. "She locked me up for the entire length of the curse and told Rumplestiltskin that I was dead. He believed her. It wasn't a few hours before the curse broke that I was released and found him. I thought that we had finally reached the end. I had dreams of a backyard wedding, followed by a half dozen children."

He watched those dreams play out in her mind and then slowly fade. It was like watching Gloria trying to be brave all over again, determined to beat the cancer all over again but realizing it wasn't enough. It was like watching Amanda fade from view convinced he didn't love her with the same passion she loved him. And once more, he was reduced to a helpless bystander.

"Sometimes," she said softly, "I wonder if I missed my happy ending. What if it happened when we were reunited but I was enthralled with the idea of normalcy that my happy ending passed and I didn't realize it?"

"But don't all the fairytales end with, 'and they lived happily ever after?'"

"I suppose." She shrugged. "Hardly matters now."

"You said the path diverged once, it may again. Who knows, maybe you've only reached the half way point of your story."

Belle gave him a very small smile before she took a sip of her tea and immediately grimaced. "Ugh. Why didn't you tell me this was horrid?"

"I thought it was suppose to taste like that."

She looked at him surprise so he shrugged.

"I'm more of a coffee man."

And for some unknown reason, Belle laughed and Nick felt like a hero.

* * *

By the time Nick had walked Belle back to her apartment and made sure she was settled, it was almost midnight. He had the odd box and note from Rumplestiltskin tucked under his arm but he had yet to open either one. He was looking forward to see what the man had left him, figuring it was something that would help him protect Belle. But when Granny's came into view, he could see Bae sitting on the front steps, still in his dark suit.

"Bae."

His hands stopped fidgeting as he stood. "Hey, Nick. How's Belle?"

His answer was the only word he could think of to describe what he witnessed that day. "Brave."

Bae smiled slightly. "That's how my father described her."

"An apt description." Nick opened the front door of the house, Bae following him inside. Nick figured the sooner he had this discussion, the sooner he could go to bed. "How was dinner?"

"Good," Bae shrugs, locking the front door behind him. "It's not going to be an easy road but at least she's going to let me see Henry."

"A small victory then."

"A small but important victory."

Tomorrow was Sunday, he could sleep in. Though the fact that he was able to sleep every night since he had arrived in Storybrooke meant he had an overabundance of rest. He sat the box down on the dining room table and went into the kitchen. "You want a beer?"

Bae stood in the kitchen doorway. "It's late. I don't want to keep you up."

Nick shrugged and pulled out two beers anyway. "I'm used to pulling thirty-six hour shifts that usually end up being fifty-two hours. You're not keeping me up. Besides, you look like a man with a story to tell."

Bae took the bottle from him with a nod of thanks. "It has been an interesting day. I buried my father this morning but was able to spend time with my son this afternoon and evening."

They ended up settled in the front room of the bed and breakfast. There were embers in the fireplace, giving the room a cozy feel as they took up positions in the dated armchairs. They sat in silence for a few moments and Nick let Bae gather all his thoughts. It didn't take too long.

"I never knew she was pregnant." Bae was staring pointedly into the fireplace. "We met in the system. She had a much harder time of it than I did. She had been bounced around from foster home to foster home since she was a baby. I was fourteen when I was dumped into a place that was at least a decent home.

"I was on my way out of the home and heard that she needed a new place to stay. My foster parents took her in on my word. We were only together a couple times. I was going through training through the local college and fire house to become a fire fighter and she only had six months to go until she was 18.

"Then, two months before her 18th birthday, she was just gone. Our foster parents and I searched for her for weeks. But the one thing Emma knows how to do is hide. I didn't hear from her until she was thrown into jail in Phoenix. She was left holding hot merchandise that some of her so called friends had stolen and once they realized it could be tracked, they left her in possession of it. I tried to tell her I was in the middle of my certification tests and couldn't leave but I would get there as soon as I could. All she heard was I wasn't coming and that was the end of that."

"When was Henry born?"

"While she waiting for her court date. Since he was born in prison, to an unwed mother who was in the system herself, she had to give him up."

"Did you love her?"

Bae shrugged. "I was eighteen, I didn't know what love was. I cared about her, what happened to her. I still do but love..." He faded off with a shake of his head. "Do you love Belle?"

Nick almost choked on his beer. "What? I hardly know her."

"Then why are you taking such good care of her?"

"Because I promised your father I would."

"Oh, I see." Bae chuckled. "You just go around and take care of women when their significant others ask you to. Okay."

"Your father knew his time was running out and wanted to make sure that Belle was protected after he was gone."

"So how do you fit into the town? Who's Prince Charming are you?"

Nick laughed. "I'm here by accident. A time traveling fluke."

"So more science fiction than fairytale then."

"You could say that."

"What's going to happen to you when the curse breaks completely?"

"I suppose I'll get sent back to where I was." He hoped that would be the case.

Bae finished his beer. "And Belle? Will she go with you?"

God, he hoped not but he stopped himself from expressing that thought so bluntly. "I highly doubt it."

Destiny was no place for someone like Belle. She had no science background, definitely no military training. But he had to admit, he was going to miss her when he went back. She was becoming his friend and he certainly needed more of those. But Rumplestiltskin seemed to think that she would be going with him. He had foreseen his own death so it wouldn't be so far fetched to think that he had a similar vision of Belle choosing to go to Destiny when the time came.

Bae decided to change the subject. "Emma has to work an afternoon shift tomorrow and is letting Henry spend the time with me. I may even get to pick him up from school on Monday."

"Sounds like things might be working out for you then."

"My father dedicated himself to raising me when I was a kid. He made a hard life seem not so hard as long as we had each other. I really wanted to do the same with my own child."

"Is it better to have Henry at ten or to not have him at all?"

Bae nodded thoughtfully. "It's much better to have him, of course."

"Then don't waste the time you have now." Nick was more comfortable with this line of conversation, now that it had veered away from Belle. "What was something that your father did with you that made you feel loved?"

Bae grew wistful and smiled slightly. "Every night, whether we had food or not, we would sit together at the dining table. He would start a story and I would have to finish it." Bae turned to him. "What about your father, Nick? What was he like?"

This subject was a little touchier than Belle. "He was a hard worker."

"That's it?"

Nick shrugged. "He worked in the shipyards of Glasgow to feed his family. It didn't allow much time for bonding."

"How many siblings do you have?"

Nick hadn't thought of his brothers and sister in a while. He hadn't even bothered to contact them when he used the communication stones. They had all gone their separate ways when they could. He wasn't even sure if they were still in Great Britain. "Two older brothers and a younger brother and sister."

"Dead center. That must have been interesting."

Lonely was more like it. "It left me to my own devices, made me independent."

"Gave you wonderful people skills too."

Nick looked over at the other man to see him grinning in good humor. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before deciding to catch a couple hours of sleep before Sunday started for them both. Bae took their bottles out to the recycling and Nick retrieved his box from the dining room table.

When he closed the door to his room, he sat down on the side of his bed and opened the envelope that was taped on the top of the box. It was handwritten in a sharp scrawl but the message was very simple and direct.

_This will get you home._

Nick opened the box, wondering what in the world could be in a box that could span time and space and return him to Destiny. What he saw nestled in the velvet lining baffled him. He gently lifted the glass bottle out of the box and held it up to the wan lamplight in the room. Whatever was inside the bottle glowed with a purply colored swirling matter. It was hard to tell if it was liquid or gas and with no other directions, he had no idea what to do with it.

Well, at least he had a chemistry lab at the high school that he could use to study whatever it was in the bottle. But that was for another day. He put the bottle back into the box and shut the latches before sliding it under the bed.


	8. Chapter 8

**True Love's Proof**

**Chapter 8**

She had gone to the Rabbit Hole against her better judgement.

Her father had to sort through inventory that had been delivered that day and Nick was busy...again. It had been three months since the funeral and even though her grief was still an every day burden, it was lessened by his presence, his friendship. They had shared meals, stories and each other's experience with loss. She spoke of Rumplestiltskin and he told her about Gloria and Amanda. But he had started to become less and less available in the last couple weeks. She didn't like the feeling of being pushed away once more.

That was the real reason she had said yes to Emma's invitation for a girl's night out at the Rabbit's Hole. Someone had offered to spend time with her and she jumped on it. Now, however, looking around the table at the gathering, it only made her feel that much more alone. Snow and Emma had Charming and Bae back at the apartment, both men were watching Henry. Red was sneaking unsubtle glances over to the bar where Jiminy was seated. The town's psychologist was most likely waiting for them all to go their own ways so he could spend his time with Red.

But Belle had an empty apartment to go back home to when this meeting ended. She missed companionship. There were four months of being in the Dark Castle with Rumplestiltskin that had been comfortable and pleasant. Then it was twenty-eight years of solitude, followed by a couple months of on and off moments of tranquility here in Storybrooke. Her father offered her some comfort but he still looked at her with pity tinging his eyes. Pity for falling in love in with a monster and pity at her grief over the loss of the monster. Nick, on the other hand, treated her like a person who had lost their love. He understood better than anyone here and she missed that unique connection.

"Call him."

Emma's voice rattled Belle out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry?"

"The science guy," Emma said. "Call him or go visit him at least."

Belle shook her head and turned her martini glass in her hand. "He's busy."

Snow tilted her head to the side. "Doing what?"

"I don't know. Trying to get home, I suppose."

Emma snorted. "Home to his _spaceship_?"

"Hey," Red grinned, "you're living in a town full of storybook characters and you're making fun a man and his spaceship? Sounds a little hypocritical to me."

"Sounds like you've been hanging out with a certain cricket," Snow countered.

Emma smiled tightly at Snow. "Thanks for sticking up for me, _Mom_."

Snow's smile was anything but tight. "Any time."

And Belle had to blink back tears at the easiness they all had with each other. Due to her incarceration, she had no friendships here, no ties to anyone really. The only one she had known was gone and the one friend she had connected to was off doing god knew what tonight. She shouldn't have come and pretend that she was friends with these women. It just wasn't so. She dropped her share of the check on the table and slipped from her chair. "I think I'll call it a night."

The other three woman all fussed over her leaving, asking her to stay but she just shook her head, wished them all a good night and quickly left the tavern. Once the cold night air hit her face did she allow her tears to fall. She was tired of feeling lonely when she was around other people. She was weary of the dull ache underneath her breastbone that she feared would never go away. But most of all, she was sick of caring for men who had a habit of pushing her away. Just once, she wanted someone to reach out to her first.

"Belle?"

She looked up and found herself almost nose to nose with Nick. Belatedly, she swiped at her tears. "What are you doing out here?"

He gave her a concerned look. "I was walking back from the school to Granny's when Emma texted me. She said you left their girl's night early and wanted me to check on you."

Emma, of course. Belle would have to kick her in the shins the next time she saw the sheriff. "I'm fine."

"If you say so."

She kept walking in the direction of her apartment and was torn when Nick started following her. "So, what were you doing at the school so late?"

"Working."

Always spinning, always working. Rumplestiltskin said he spun to forget. From the stories that Nick told her, he worked to survive, to go home. "How is it going?"

"Well. Very well."

Belle blinked back fresh tears. "So you'll be leaving soon."

"I don't know about that." He stopped and held out his hand to her. "Would you like to see?"

She didn't even hesitate and slipped her hand into his. At the moment, it was the closest she had felt to coming home in months. "I'd like that."

* * *

The school was completely dark and Belle was thankful that Nick kept a grip on her hand. He maneuvered the hallways like he had done this multiple times, walking with ease and confidence. They reached the lab room that was connected to his classroom and he flipped on the lights, releasing her hand.

Belle couldn't believe her eyes. There were four chalk boards in the room and every single one of them had been filled with equations. There were papers taped around the boards when the numbers over flowed from the board and he had needed more space. There was a beauty, an elegance to it all, even though she had no understanding of what she was viewing.

She sank down onto one of the lab tables and just took in the amount of work he had done. Rumplestiltskin had frightened her with his power, the immensity of what he held within himself. But Nick's brilliance brought on a new sense of awe and fear. He was so intelligent, bound for bigger and more important things than Storybrooke, Maine and a heartbroken knight's daughter. He was going to leave one day, possibly soon, and she had to be prepared for that.

"What does it mean?"

He smiled and pointed to the two boards on her left. "This is the equation I formulated based off a discovery that was made while I was aboard Destiny. There was a recurring pattern we found embedded in the very fabric of space itself. If we were to write it out using math, it would look like this. And then," he pulled out the box that Rumplestiltskin had bequeathed to him and opened it. "I was given this. I studied it under a microscope. Watched its movement, tried to take it apart to see what exactly it is."

Belle was surprised to see glowing pinkish-purplish swirling in the bottle. She couldn't quite understand why Rumplestiltskin would give that to Nick. "What did you find out about it?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea what it is. Usually, when that happens, I start looking at it from a mathematical point of view. Based off its reactions to the tests I put it through and observation of movement, I started mapping it with equations." He pointed to the other two boards in the room. "And I found the exact same pattern as I did with the unknown message in space."

Belle couldn't hide her smile at the realization of just what she was looking at now. She still didn't understand how the numbers and symbols could interpret a message or a movement but she could grasp the meaning behind it all now.

Nick put the bottle back into its box. "Do you know what's in this bottle?"

"Yes, as a matter fact of I do. It's true love."

He stared at her caught on the edge of laughing and believing. "He said it would get me home. But home to Destiny or home back to Earth? And how in the world would 'true love' do that?" He slammed the box shut with a muttered curse.

"Gods above, you and Rumple are so similar." Belle stood up and walked over to the boards. "He use to say that if you could bottle true love, the most powerful magic there is, you could do anything. You have the evidence in that box. You have the mathematical proof behind you and you still you don't believe in its existence."

His anger seemed to fade slightly. "I've never experienced it, Belle. It's difficult to believe in something if you've never experienced it."

"Just because you never experienced it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. You held it in your hands. You gave it written form. What else is left?"

He turned around and faced the boards thoughtfully. "I don't know. Could it really be that simple? Just believe and then what? Click my heels together and I'm back on Destiny?"

Belle came next to him, leaning back against the desk, their shoulders touching. "I don't think there's anything easy about believing something or even accepting it. I know that doesn't help with getting you home."

Nick glanced down at his watch. "Speaking of getting home."

She hated to admit the lateness of the hour but she didn't want to leave just yet. She had barely seen him in the last two weeks and she wasn't ready to let him go just yet. "I'd like to stay here a little while longer."

He gave her a half smile. "You would?"

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too." He admitted it guiltily, with an averted gaze. "Girls' night out didn't go well?"

She shrugged. "I don't think the problem was with them."

"Loss changes people. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not."

"How did it change you?"

"Not for the better, that's for certain."

She nudged his shoulder with her own. "I don't think you're so bad."

"You haven't seen me at my worst."

"The one thing I did learn from Rumplestiltskin was that even at your worst, you're still yourself. It's just another facet, flawed but still part of the whole."

He was quiet so she took the time to let her eyes rove over the equations in front of her. It wasn't until she yawned that the quiet spell between them was broken.

"Come on, then," he slipped an arm around her shoulders and led her out the door.

When they were back on the street, Belle spoke up. "Remember that day in the diner, when Bae showed up and thought you were his father?"

"Of course."

"You said that if you could see true love's proof, then you would believe in it."

"So I did." He laughed slightly. "When we made that discovery of the pattern in space, many people thought it proved the existence of God or at least a more intelligent being than humans. Now, when I go back, I'll have to tell them that it's not God but true love. They'll think I've gone around the bend."

Belle pressed herself against his side, trying to stay warm in the chilly night. "I have to admit, I'm not well versed in this world's religions but isn't it a widely accepted belief that God is love? And if He's God, wouldn't that make it the truest of love? Maybe it's His signature that you've found."

"Your explanation is as good as any."

"Maybe you should take me with you so I can pitch that idea to everyone else," she laughed and then sobered quickly. It was an option she hadn't considered until that moment. She could go with him. What was here to keep her now? A grave? Friends? An independent father?

Nick pulled away from her. "No, Belle. You can't come with me."

Her heart sank. He was the one who understood the science behind these wormholes and stargates so if he said she couldn't go with him, he must understand something she didn't. "Is it like Jefferson's hat? If only one person comes through, only one can go back?"

"No, nothing like that."

He had shoved his hands into his pockets and Belle wanted to tug one out so she could hold it again. "Then why can't I go?"

"Why would you want to? Did you not listen to stories I told you? The lack of food, the disrepair of the ship? No, you need to stay here."

"And what exactly is here for me? I spent twenty-eight years locked up. I have no friends, the only man I've ever loved is dead and my father feels sorry for me because of who I fell in love with." The passion that she felt took her by surprise, not realizing this was what she wanted until she opened her mouth. "I want adventure. I wanted to see the world and then you show up and tell stories of other worlds that you can travel through just by passing through a gate. How can I not want that?"

"You have no training in military or science fields."

"What about the senator's daughter, Chloe? She didn't have training either and yet she's been extremely beneficial to you and the crew. And Eli, you said he didn't even finish college and yet he's done so much for you too."

He actually looked pained. "I don't want you to go through what they went through, Belle. There is so much suffering and hardship, you have no idea."

"I have no idea about suffering and hardship?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Then why don't you want me to go with you?"

It was hard to determine the look on his face in the dark and he was silent for too long. Belle opened her mouth to repeat the question when he stepped forward, grabbing both sides of her face and pressing his mouth against hers. She fought a smile, pulling him closer to her instead. After all the time she had spent with Rumplestiltskin, how foolish of her to miss the signs of fear in Nick. It was too soon to tell if it was love but at least he cared enough for her to want the best or what he thought was the best for her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered against her lips.

Belle kept a firm hold on his shoulders. "Don't be." She leaned up on her toes and returned his kiss. She wouldn't bring up going with him again but when she went back to her apartment that night, she would pack her bag and be ready to follow Nick through whatever gate appeared in Storybrooke.


	9. Chapter 9

**True Love's Proof**

**Chapter Nine**

Two days after their kiss on the sidewalk, everything changed.

Belle tilted her head to the side. "You knew this was coming. I hope you're not shocked or disapproving of this choice but I have a feeling you knew it would end this way. That's why you did it, isn't it? That's why you asked him to watch over me."

She knelt down on the ground and pressed her hand against the name etched in the cold stone. "Oh Rumple, I wish I knew for certain that you would be okay with this."

"Belle!"

She stood up quickly and saw Bae and Emma running through the cemetery towards her. "What?"

"You've got to go!" Bae shouted. "Blue said the gate is going to close in a few minutes."

Emma picked up the duffle bag at Belle's feet and slung it over her shoulder. "Come on, short cut's through the woods."

Bae smiled at Belle and she could see traces of Rumplestiltskin in that grin. "He would want you to be happy. He would want you to have your adventures. Go."

Belle kissed the palm of her hand and pressed it against the stone before following Emma at a sprint into the woods. The curse had broken that morning when Emma and Bae had shared true love's kiss. The Savior had the love of her child to break the first part of the curse, the love of her true love to break down the boundaries of the curse. As soon as the curse was broken, a wormhole opened up in the woods close to where Emma had first seen Nick walking into town.

For once, her clumsy feet carried her swiftly over the ground and they broke into the clearing where the wormhole was glowing. It was a circle, silvery and rippling like water. The dwarves, Charming and Snow were shoving crates through as quickly as possible. Supplies for the Destiny crew that had been offered to Nick prior to the gateway's appearance.

"Nick?"

Emma handed Belle her bag. "Already went through."

Belle pressed her lips together. He had warned her when this day came he would have to leave immediately, no times for goodbyes or tears. She had let him believe that she understood. She never told him that he would never have to say good bye to her. She had told her father of her plan to leave and even though he didn't understand, he let her go.

"Thank you," she said to Emma, giving the woman a hug. "Thank you for saving us."

"That's what I'm here for." The tone was light but when Belle drew back there were tears in Emma's eyes. Belle turned to Bae.

"I'm so glad that I was able to meet you."

He stepped forward and embraced her warmly. "Me too. Thank you for loving my father."

"Thank you for loving him."

Belle stepped away from them, wished them both the best and started towards the wormhole. She was surprised to find Red and Jiminy waiting there for her as the last of the supplies were pushed through. Drawing a deep breath, she was getting ready to defend her decision when Red held out her hand to Belle.

"We've decided to go with you."

"What?"

Red shrugged. "No full moons in space. Though I'm bringing this," she patted her red cloak, "just in case."

"And Dr. Rush said they didn't have a counselor of any kind on board and could use one," Jiminy added. "There's nothing left for us here anymore either."

Belle took Red's offered hand and nodded. "If you're sure."

They both shared a look and nodded. Without looking back, Belle took a deep breath and stepped into the shimmery surface. When she drew her next breath, she was in a completely different world. She heard Red and Jiminy moving behind her and suddenly the gate that was active behind them, disappeared.

Belle dropped her duffle bag next to a crate of medical supplies and looked around what was going to be their new home. The ceiling was high but they were surrounded by metal. Metal walls, metal walkways, metal floors. She had once spent her life surrounded by stone and then concrete. She could handle metal.

Archie cleared his throat, the sound echoing off the space. "Where's Dr. Rush?"

Red sniffed the air and then wrinkled her nose. "It's too new for me to track him."

"He'll come back here," Belle said. "He knew we were sending supplies so he'll come back here to go through them. So, let's start organizing them. Food over there, medical supplies to the left and the weapons can stay where they are."

They started going through boxes and Belle concentrated on the task at hand. Every few minutes, her eyes drifted towards the hallway that led away from the large room they were currently occupying. She knew Nick would be angry at their arrival but she hoped it would pass. She looked back at the large arch where they passed through just moments ago. There was no way to go home now. She wanted adventure and now she had it. She just hoped an angry Nick wasn't part of the experience.

But then a new concern made itself known. Belle was a little more concerned about where the rest of the crew was. Did they all follow Nick off to somewhere else in the ship? Why didn't they have someone in this room to handle the supplies? The ship sounded so quiet, too quiet and she wondered where everyone was.

* * *

Nick had expected to defend himself, answer hurled questions as quickly as possible or deal with whatever system was failing as soon as he stepped through the wormhole. But none of those things greeted him when he stepped back onto Destiny. The ship was silent. No one was around. He went over to the gate room console and looked at the readout.

Destiny was running on bare minimum power. A course was already set, a three year course. The majority of the power that was being used was coming from the stasis pods that they had discovered shortly before his stint in Storybrooke. Before he altered any of settings, he needed to find out from Eli what exactly had happened. Supplies were still being pushed through the gate but they would keep until he had some answers.

Everyone must has have been in the pods. He didn't see any sign of life as he walked the familiar hallways. At one time, he would have loved the opportunity the explore the ship at his leisure, have no interruptions to his learning of the ship and its systems. That was before Storybrooke, before Belle.

He had used his time there to properly grieve for Gloria and Amanda both. He had dealt with the stress, the pain and the disappointments. He was coming back to Destiny with renewed purpose and emotional clarity. Gloria had told him through the chair simulation that her death had turned him callous and she had been right. It took watching Belle grieve to see how it could be done without forsaking your own humanity. He never told Belle just how much she had helped him, restored him to who he was before Gloria's death. He could only be that better man now.

He reached the pod rooms and wandered through the chambers. He was surprised at the feeling of relief to see everyone there and accounted for. The pods were functioning beautifully, everyone was stable. Looking at the console, they had only been in stasis for two weeks at most. He found Eli's chamber and brought it offline. He thought about doing to the same to Young's but he wanted answers about what made them set a three year course and go into stasis. He wasn't ready just yet to answer the questions that would come his way. Young could wait for now.

Eli stepped out of the pod, warily looking around at everyone else still very much in stasis. Finally, his eyes rested on Nick who was still standing behind the console. "Rush?"

"The one and only." He was surprised when Eli came over to him and hugged him.

"We didn't know where you went, if you could get back," Eli told him.

"How long was I gone?"

"I don't know. How long were we in stasis?"

"Two weeks, from the look at it."

"Then you've only been gone for about five weeks then. Where did you go? How did you get back?"

So much for getting answers immediately. "It's a long story and I'll tell it to you and Young but first, I want to know what happened here."

Eli shrugged and shoved his hands into his sweatshirt. "We were running out of food and supplies. The drones were blocking every available star for us to refuel. With the weapons systems not being able to be used at full strength because we can't replenish the fuel...we were running out of options."

Nick looked over the console, the programed route. "Three years traveling in FTL. That would take you into the next galaxy."

"We were hoping the drones wouldn't be in the next galaxy. How did you get back?"

"The gate, which means we've dropped out of FTL."

"How long have you been back?"

"Fifteen, twenty minutes. Even that will be enough to throw off your calculations from the looks of it."

Eli laughed shortly and pointed to the gate room monitor. "Not to mention the three people you brought back with you."

Nick switched over to the monitor in the gate room where clear as day, he could see Red, Jiminy and Belle moving the supplies into three separate piles. The gate was already closed. They were trapped. Red and Jiminy could be there accidentally but Belle, he knew wasn't. Strangely enough, he had an urge to punch a bulk head and kiss her senseless.

"I suppose we should wake up Young and bring him up to speed."

Eli gave him a concerned look. "Where exactly did you go?"

* * *

Belle heard voices echoing off the dark hallways. Red and Jiminy came to stand next to her as a trio appeared. She tried to hide her relief at seeing Nick leading the group and the lack of anger in his posture. He even gave her a brief smile. There were two other men with him, both dark haired but one was very somber looking while the other seemed slightly more interested in them.

"Colonel, Eli," Nick motioned to Jiminy first, "this is Dr. Archie Hopper, Ruby Lucas and Belle French."

Eli stepped forward, grinning widely. "So, which fairytale characters are you guys? I've always wanted to meet Snow White. Did you know Snow White? In this town in Maine?"

"Eli," Nick reprimanded.

"Well," Young said, "we'll have to find out some time."

Nick motioned to them again. "Very well, Jiminy Cricket, Red Riding Hood and, well, Belle from Beauty and the Beast."

"Really?" Eli looked like he had just woken up to Christmas morning. "What was the Beast like? Was there dancing silverware? I use to watch that movie..." he finally reigned himself in, "like, whenever it came on TV and Twilight Zone was a repeat."

Belle had to laugh. Nick's description of the boy genius was true to form and she found herself endeared to him even more because of it. "There was dancing silverware at one point, yes."

"Now that the important things have been covered," Young interrupted, "why did you want to come here and what can you do for us? Dr. Rush explained to you the situation we have, the lack of supplies, the state of the ship. Everyone here has to pull their own weight."

"We understand that," Belle spoke up. "And we're prepared to do whatever needs to be done."

Red stepped forward. "We grew up and lived in basically what you would consider medieval times. We know how to forage, hunt and make the most from the land."

"I'm a trained and certified psychologist, something that Dr. Rush said was lacking. We're prepared to help."

"We've brought supplies," Belle offered. "Nick gave us a list of things that you routinely need and the residents of Storybrooke gathered as much of that as we could."

Young looked at some of the supplies and nodded. "Let's go wake up some people up and get this stuff put away then. And welcome to the Destiny."

Nick glanced at his watch again. He had been back on Destiny for entire twenty-four hours and already the lack of sleep was catching up with him. He was used to sleeping eight hours every night, having coffee in the morning. Getting back into the routine of what Destiny demanded of him was going to take some adjustment.

"So what exactly do we do with it?" Brody asked.

"I don't know." Nick dropped the glass bottle that held true love back into the box and locked it. "But since this is all we have, I suggest we know precisely what needs to be done with it before we start experimenting without purpose."

"True love," Volker commented. "Never would have thought about that to get us home. Maybe we should shove you through wormholes more often and see what you come back with."

Ah yes, the little digs at just how unwelcome he was on the science team. Another thing he would have to get used to once more. Before he could say anything in response, Eli beat him to it.

"Not if we have to listen to you every time complaining 'how are we suppose to do this without Rush?'."

Nick snapped his notebook closed. "On that note, I'm calling it a day." He picked up the box and left the console room, heading to his quarters. Eli's defense of him gave him hope that he hadn't burned all bridges when he left. Brody and Park had always showed respect for the knowledge base he had and that was something. It wasn't hopeless and as a science team they would figure out how to use the bottled love to get them home, he was certain of that.

Instead of going to his quarters though, he went to the next door down and knocked. He hadn't seen Belle in the last twelve hours and he needed to check on her, make sure she was alright and adjusting to the new environment. He needed to make sure she hadn't regretted her decision to come here. The door slid open and a very sleepy Belle greeted him.

"Hey, Nick." She stepped aside to let him into her room.

"I didn't mean to wake you."

She stifled a yawn. "I'm glad you did. Is everything okay?"

He put the box down on a little table in the room. "Everything's fine. Bringing those supplies made everyone quite happy."

"Good." She sat down on the couch, pulling her legs up underneath her. "And you? Are you happy now that you're back?"

He sat down next to her. "I don't know if happy is right word. I'm back to work at least. How are you doing?"

"Tired. It's hard to keep track of time without any sun."

"Do you have a watch?"

She nodded.

"Did you get something to eat?"

"Yes," she smiled and reached into a bag that was by her feet. She pulled out a large muffin. "I saved one of Granny's muffins for you. There were these two soldiers who were devouring them, um, Scott and Greer, I think were their names."

Nick smiled and took the muffin. "Sounds like them."

"So why are you really here, Nick?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Getting settled in and have everything you need."

"You wanted to make sure I still wanted to be here."

Nick shook his head. "Do you always see through people so easily?"

"Yes," she answered with confidence and slipped her hand into his. "And I don't regret being here."

"That's the best news I've heard all day." He kissed the back of her hand. "And now I should let you sleep."

"You need to sleep too." She stood up, still keeping a firm grasp on his hand. "And I have feeling if I let you go back to your room, you'll just work until your next shift."

He didn't want to confirm her assumption so he kept his mouth shut as she lead him into her bedroom. He toed off his shoes and pulled his outer shirt off before crawling under the covers with Belle. It was the first time they had ever shared a bed despite multiple occurrences of falling asleep together on her couch. Belle quickly found her place against him, his arms falling easily around her.

As he closed his eyes, he took comfort in the fact that it was going to be uncomplicated and quite easy to move his things over to her room.


End file.
